I Can't See A Future To Prepare For
My Ten Commandments For My Family
A few days ago I made a confession to my wife. I'm not sure how to plan for the future. I've not always been great at it in the past but I could always try something. For the first time in my life I'm unable to dream of possible outcomes. Everything feels like the world is conspiring against us. Providing us unsure footing in the dark. I can see Lizzie Erma and I and a homestead but there's no context.
When I was twenty five & single this wasn't an issue. The most important problem was always the one in front of me. If I chose wrong there was only me on the hook and I'm pretty resilient. Now, when I try navigating the chaos, my decisions could mean starvation for the people I love most. How do we teach our children to navigate a world we didn't grow up in? How do teach them to grow up in a world that's outdating itself as they live it.
Maybe I can't do anything about feeling unsure. If I spend five minutes on any social media site, it's clear most people feel lost. You can tell how lost they are by how fake their lives look. If it looks to good to be true it usually is. So I find myself shooting from the hip. I work out each individual problem from presuppositions, history and dad quips. How do you think my list looks?
Pay your rent. Being homeless sucks, you need a sanctuary in the world.
Keep everyone fed. You won't live long without food or water so always handle this one second.
Family comes first, always. This is about the people who invest the most in us. Always favor the people with stock in the game.
A big family is superior to a big friend circle. Friends are nice but family is better. Find ways to get people to invest in you. Invest in others as well.
Get rid of fake people immediately. Fake means unreliable and unreliable things add to the chaos. Don't be afraid to realize you made a poor investment and cut your loses.
Surround yourself with people who make you better. We only have so many days in our lives. Why waste any time on people who aren't pushing us to be better than we were yesterday?
Only we are responsible for our wealth. What we have is a product of what we have worked for even when its not. Even if we can shift blame it only serves to disempower us.
Wealth is measured in days. How many days you can go without needing to work for food, a house or love? That's how wealthy you are in each of those.
The best way to help yourself is to help others. The best way to things out of others is to help them get things for themselves. It's never bad to be the person who makes others lives better.
I'll sleep when I'm dead. This is my dad's. Our time is short and tomorrow is not guaranteed. Live this life fully at all times and carry no regrets.
As I muse over these I have to admit I feel considerably better about our position. I need to get a poster of this printed up here for the house.
What do you think? Any you would add or omit?