We have a saying in our office that goes “Everyone has a will, if you haven’t created one, the state has one for you!” But is that the plan you want? If you were to disappear tomorrow, would your family and friends know what your wishes were, and would granting them even be possible if they had to follow the rules some stranger set into motion under the laws of the State?
Most of us prefer not to think about what happens after we are gone. Leo Tolstoy challenges us to consider it when he writes “No matter what the work you are doing, be always ready to drop it. And plan it so as to be able to leave it.”
So imagine for a moment that at the stroke of midnight tonight, you disappear and can only watch from afar. What things are left incomplete, and will someone know what still needs to be done to finish it? How will your family fair? Is there something you have left that tells them all the things you wanted? Did you handle all the difficult choices for them or are they left to wonder and hope they are doing the right thing? There you sit, shouting directions and they just don’t hear you. I bet you just had a list of thoughts run through your head right now. Frustrating right? Not to worry, there is something you can do.
All those things you just thought about can be communicated. Now, today, this week, you can tell them! A plan you make now, is a hug when they need it most, when you aren’t physically there to guide them. Some say that you can’t take it with you – but you surely can say who gets to have it when you are gone!
“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” Warren Buffet
Plant your tree. Take the time to create the plan YOU want. If you don’t have a plan, it is simply a wish that never comes true.
