International Women’s Day – Perfect For Creating a Legacy of Learning
As parents, we naturally want to see our children achieve success. We hope that they’ll be able to see all their dreams come true. So we sort out what we’ve learned along the way of life, and pass on the best. As a legacy of learning.
Like you, I’ve read a library of books over my lifetime. I’ve attended classes, seminars, and conventions. All in the quest for a few gems of wisdom that would help me achieve what I defined as success. I’d hope that my own children’s quest would be made easier by the legacy I’ve given to them. And what better way to mark International Women’s Day that to build on that legacy?
Here’s some jewels of wisdom that I’ve found.
Defining Wealth
Success in life is too frequently measured in wealth that is defined simply by the size of your bank account. But wealth is much more subjective than that, and certainly much more than net worth, income, or the car you drive. Too often, financial advice books and experts who claim to have all the “secret” answers to attaining wealth focus on nothing but the material world.
I was quite surprised recently when I was sent a review copy of “Tailored Wealth Management” and found this:
“. . .understand what creates financial success and what its effects are, and ignore what the man or woman next to you is doing. They are following their path. You should follow yours”
A wealth management book that allows for personal perspective? That the journey has meaning, too? How refreshing! That’s definitely something every child should learn. As author Niall J. Gannon says –
“Be happy in your boat, and care less about what the next guy is doing in his boat.”
Cause and Effect
Being happy where you are doesn’t mean you lack aspirations for creating something more or better. It means you’ve learned that life is mostly just a result of choices. That there’s a cause and effect. And that you’ve learned how to estimate and connect the effects of your choices.
Check out Gannon’s book. It perhaps could have been titled “Not Another Wealth Management Book,” because it isn’t just another piece of boring financial dribble. Hint: Read and discuss chapter 2 – just 10 pages – with your kids. It has some powerful lessons that just might change their future.
Mistakes
Poor choices. Lapses in Judgement. Call them what you will, we all make them. What’s imperative is that we learn from our choices. That we ask better questions to get better answers as we evaluate options before we make a choice.
We often try to teach that to our kids with the label consequences. I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Learning to assess what happened, as well as forward looking to avoid the bad results we call consequences, is easier to digest.
While it would be any parent’s dream to have their kids learn from the parent’s mistakes, rarely does it work that way. They’re going to reach their hand out to see if the stove is really hot, or maybe just to find out what “hot” means. Wouldn’t it be great to have a resource that could connect mistakes and faulty thinking with outcomes?
Skip Prichard has written “The Book of Mistakes” that does just that, and shows you how to do life awake and aware of what your choices are creating. He sets out nine common mistakes that hold us back. And then suggests ways to avoid making those mistakes. Hint: Check out the nine single-page summaries, and talk about them with your spouse and kids.
A Legacy of Learning
In the end, the real end, all the boats, and all the wealth, and all the people, including you, will be gone. Only the waves will remain. Why not help your children enjoy their moment on the wave by creating a legacy of learning?
