The U.S. spent $100B to ensure the swing of a second hand turning the millennium, did not crash the modern computer infrastructure during the run-up to Y2K. Pending hurricanes quickly clear store shelves of plywood, batteries, bottled water, milk, bread, and toilet paper. Insurance and financial advisers pitch solutions to mitigate catastrophe and reach personal goals.
How do you prepare for the storms of life during...
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Note: This is an uncomfortable post, brace yourself. And yet, another question I have been afraid to post. I hate being afraid. I don't watch horror movies as I have no desire to invest time in something designed to spike cortisol levels or engage fight or flight. If I want to be horrified, I can find plenty of real-world examples that don't require a $15 trip to the movies. I live in an isolated little bubble that doesn't require me to face the things that scare me. I live near I-95 and I am certain that tonight human traffickers are transporting terrified people up and down the east coast to be delivered for terrible purposes to the lowest bidder. What am I doing to stop it? The question scares me because I hate the answer, and I like to think I am better than the honest answer.
Inquiries were not designed to be easy, but to bring about an understanding of one's self and any necessary change. These questions get to the operating system level of who we really are, not the photo-shopped images we post in our profile. Many questions involve those around us both family and co-workers. What employee needs the constructive feedback to improve? What discussion needs to be had with your partner or child? What tough-love needs to be given to that friend who is abusive? What steps do you need to take to face your own fears? What help do we need to change to stop the self-destructive spiral in our own lives?
We have to be intellectually honest with ourselves; if we answer the fun inquiries, the difficult inquiries also get their time in the sun. During a Tim Ferriss podcast discussion with Shay Carl, of YouTube fame, they discussed having a discussion with our 10-year-older self. For example, if you were ten-years-older, what would you say to your current self? This hit me hard. I always have spectacular advice, I would humbly submit, for someone else, but what would my future-self require of my present self and what action is non-negotiable? Yeah, this takes a second to grasp. If we are going to care for our future selves, then fears need to be confronted now, so our future isn't burdened by the same weight as we bear today.
You know the questions, and in most cases, the answers. The question is designed to offer hope that things can be different. Now is the time to answer the question and implement the plan, your future-self anticipates the action.
On August 29th, 1887 the family bible was dedicated to the Woodward family and included the family tree back to 1826. Births, weddings and deaths fill the yellowing pages inside the back cover. The heirloom book waits patiently for every life to be recorded in each section. I am the current custodian and will pass it, and the responsibility, on to the next generation, when my date fills the last column. During each five-year family reunion, we look at the names and remember those that have gone before and built the family we have today.
I was blessed to be born into a family that is loving and cares for one another. Perfect, no, but the family has maintained unity over the years. The family traits include faith, a strong optimism about life and a love of each other. For others, recounting family history can be painful and the reasons, sadly, are legitimate. These wrongs may have been against an individual or a sign of the times, but they are a part of the story that we carry into the world. Heirlooms may have been lost to poverty, fire, flood or war and in some cases, reduced to a tattooed serial number on a forearm.
For good or bad, these stories are to be known and to understand the influences of how we have arrived at today. Rejoice if you have reason and start over if you don't. Today offers a choice and the opportunity to create new heirlooms and traits for the generations to come. Our history informs, but does not define our future. May today's date be found, in your penmanship, by future generations, as you create their heirlooms.
Going Further: What heirlooms will you pass onto the next generation? How do you invest in the generations that will follow you? How do you reconcile the wrongs of the past with your today? What is the greatest gift your family lineage has passed onto you? What family history question did I miss?