Since 1995, John Mickelson has helmed Wealth Advocates. He provides retirees and small business owners coordinated services that conserve and grow wealth, allowing them to build nest eggs that they can pass down through generations. Based in Logan, Utah, he collaborates with established insurance and investment firms to deliver a comprehensive array of products and strategies. John Mickelson maintains status as a Chartered Financial Consultant and Advanced Estate Planner.
Mr. Mickelson, a longstanding Million Dollar Round Table life member, has earned inclusion in the Top of the Table and Court of the Table across multiple years. In the early 2000s, Mr. Mickelson served as president of the Estate Planning Council of Northern Utah and qualified as an Advanced Estate Planner and a Chartered Financial Consultant. He earned his international finance degree at Brigham Young University and a financial services MS from The American College.
His industry distinctions include accolades as New Agent of the Year within both the Beneficial Financial Group and the New York Life Insurance Company. Mr. Mickelson has been an active member of the Cambridge Premier Council since 2012.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
Quite a few years ago, I attended a study group designed for entrepreneurs. We were all in about the same income level but all from different businesses. It was a powerful learning tool. It was a group of people that were going through similar problems at similar times. One of the most powerful tools they provided to me was analyzing how I was using my time.
The first thing we did as a group was to analyze each other’s businesses. The primary focus was on the question “what is your individual unique ability?” I was asked before meeting with the group to go to 10 to 15 of my best clients and ask them why they chose to work with me over anyone else. The answer was different than I expected. Most of them made comments that they felt a great deal of trust very early on in our discussions. The second thing they commented on was that I help them see complex ideas and boil it down to a simple set of answers.
The next step in the process was to consider how much time we were spending in our unique ability. We literally had to track every 30 minutes for an entire week. Then we categorized everything into three categories. The first category was our free time. They defined free time as being completely away from work. No texts, no phone calls, no emails.
The second category was our focus time. This is the most important of the three categories. This is what people want from me. It refers to when I am engrossed in using what is considered to be my unique ability. For me, this meant being in front of a client, doing research, on the phone, or anything else that was considered client-facing activities.
The third category would be buffer time. This would be considered anything that is not inside my unique ability but still work-related. These would be things like payroll, trainings, educational events, or anything else that is not truly what I do best. It’s almost like a catchall and clean up for the entire week.
I then took my calendar and broke it into those three categories by day. For the past 15 years, I have tried to organize my calendar so that when I’m in my “focus days,” I am truly doing what I do best and undistracted by other things.
It was amazing to me how much more productive I became by keeping my time organized this way. I was able to do more, see more people, and truly enjoy the process more. When I am in my unique ability, my work is very enjoyable.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I have found that it is critical to be a lifelong learner. I decided early on in my career that I needed to be studying something significant related to my business every quarter. It’s how I initiated my master’s degree. I felt like as long as I was studying something, business always went better. I decided that if I was going to study something systematically that I ought to be working towards something important. I started studying for my masters of financial services (MSFS). I had studied enough to receive designations in other areas, but I felt like a master’s degree would be much more meaningful.
When I was young, I looked at many of the people in the latter half of their career who were not progressing. There were a lot that seemed like they were in a rut and doing repetitive and routine services for people. I felt like the difference between them and the ones that continued to thrive was the desire to learn and expand their capabilities.
The best ideas I have found have come from various sources that were often not where I was looking. I found them through solving problems and through consulting with other people that I respected. There is always room for creativity.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Several years ago, I heard a speaker talk about the balance between human intelligence and artificial intelligence. He started by saying that when he was in high school, his favorite album came out, Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Said he loved every track on that album. He bought it on vinyl and played it and played it. Then, he said he got his first “Vet.” However, it was a Chevette, not a Corvette; but it was a car, and it had an 8-track player. So, what was the first thing he purchased? Pink Floyd, The Wall. Now he could drive around and listen to music and not be confined to his vinyl record player.
Years later, the Walkman was invented. Now he could purchase Pink Floyd on cassette and walk around with it. He was no longer confined to a car or his house. He could go anywhere. Not too long after that, the compact disc was invented. The clarity was amazing. And shortly after that, the MP3 player came out. Now he could have hundreds of tracks on a very small device. Then of course, streaming services were invented.
The point with this story was that at every stage, technology improved and got better and better. The story illustrates the evolution of technology and the balance between the human element and technology. The common thread in the whole story was the creativity and human element of Pink Floyd.
The reason I like this story is because we are at the outset of another major evolution in technology with artificial intelligence and machine learning. Many are scared. However, I see it as an opportunity to be on the fringe between artificial intelligence and human intelligence. There will be so much opportunity for those that are willing to evolve and adjust to the new environment that we live in. It’s very exciting!
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
The most important habit that I would add to what I said above would be to practice proactive gratitude. There are different kinds of gratitude. Reactive gratitude would be the example of someone having a life-threatening event and then finding a new zeal for life as a result.
Proactive gratitude is the ability to recognize the blessings and gifts that are all around us. When we open our eyes and see all of the amazing things that surround us, it gives me great energy.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t get stuck in the thick of thin things. People get too caught up in things that have no long-lasting significance. It’s human nature. My grandfather’s famous quote is, “If you saw a sack of manure in the road, would you kick it or go around it?”
I share this quote jokingly, but there’s a lot of wisdom to it. There are an awful lot of conflicts and problems that really don’t matter. Only fight the battles that really count.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
The San Diego Chargers are going to win the Super bowl. The Utah Jazz are going to win the NBA Finals. Nobody will agree with me on that.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Write handwritten notes. Call people and express sincere gratitude for no reason.
Find someone who is 10 years older than you who you truly respect and wish you could be like and then ask them what choices they made when they were your age. Then find a second person that’s 20 years older than you.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
Exercise. I always feel better when I have time to break away from the routine of life. It gives me time to evaluate what matters and what doesn’t matter. Don’t get stuck in the thick of thin things.
The other thing I do is call my best friends. They always make me feel better and give me confidence and energy.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
The most important thing I can think of is the confidence that my mother and father had in me to be able to do anything. Even now that they’re gone, I think about what would make them proud.
Related to this is the key people that are around me. My closest friends are a huge influence on me. They make me feel valued and capable. The team I have chosen to work with also has had a significant impact on what we can and have accomplished. They are truly amazing people.
Maybe the most important is the person I chose to marry. She makes the lows bearable and the highs amazing.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
There are not many things I see as a failure in my career. There are only truly teaching moments. They are what have shaped the direction I have taken. The only way I could have learned certain lessons was to take a chance and learn from what happened, good or bad.
One of the biggest mistakes I see myself or others make is to experience something negative or painful and not stop and learn something from it. Our human nature is that when we feel pain or frustration, our natural instinct is to get out of it as soon as possible and get it behind us. In reality, the most important thing we can do is to figure out where is the lesson. Someone close to me would often use the phrase “always make the lesson greater than the experience.” This is to say, figure out how that pain can be used in the future. Can you “bank it?” In other words, is there a way that you can store the experience away and its lesson for future use. Don’t go through pain and suffering and get nothing from it.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I have a “weekly planner” that I fill out every Sunday night. I draw that from my lifetime, three-year, annual, and monthly benchmarks. I don’t use the term “goals” very much. A goal infers an ending point. I like benchmarks. The reason I like benchmarks is because of how I feel about comparison. “Comparison” is a dangerous concept. It creates an expectation based on an external source that you do not control. The only healthy comparison to me is to compare myself 90 days ago to where I am now. That allows me to focus on my own improvement. There will always be someone better than me and worse than me. What I need to focus on is improving myself consistently.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
One of my all-time favorite podcasts is Hardcore History by Dan Carlin. The podcast that I loved started at the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, which initiated the events of World War I. The podcast progresses from that point all the way to the end of World War II and the commencement of the Cold War. It made me realize the price that was paid for the freedom I enjoy every day. I think everybody should have a sense of gratitude for those that sacrificed to make our lives so easy and convenient.
One of my favorite books is Collapse by Jared Diamond. It discusses the rise and fall of several societies throughout history. Civilizations like the Mayans, the Chinese, the inhabitants of Easter Island, etcetera. He explores the use of resources, politics, culture and religion, warfare, and other elements that contributed to their rise and fall. It forces you to take a hard look at our society and see the parallels. I really appreciated his perspective that all of the previous civilizations failed in different ways. However, he was cautiously optimistic that we can learn from others’ mistakes. All of the other civilizations he studied lived in isolation. They could not see any lessons learned from others. I’m hopeful that we’re wise enough to learn from our history.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
One of my favorite movies is Stranger Than Fiction. I just love a story about someone who feels insecure and unsure of themself. Then they discover they are much more than they are. I love a humble hero.
Key learnings
- Adaptability is a superpower.
- Small wins add up to a big impact.
- Fight for what matters, rather than getting caught in small, insignificant things.
- Never stop learning—it’s vital to growth, progression, and preventing mistakes of the past.