Our soul is sometimes a king, and sometimes a tyrant. A king, by attending to what is honorable, protects the good health of the body in its care, and gives it no base or sordid command. But an uncontrolled, desire-fueled, over-indulged soul is turned from a king into that most feared and detested thing – a tyrant.” ~Seneca, “Moral Letters”, as cited in “The Daily Stoic”
These past few weeks have been heavy on the heart. It’s with great sorrow I send condolences to those who continue to suffer in Ukraine. War clearly defines our deficiency as it relates to the human condition. My wife and I now have to face the ugliness of current events to attempt to explain to our children what is happening. I thought I would have a few more years to teach my children about an invasion and what human beings are truly capable of outside of cinema and video games.
The world is not always sunshine and rainbows and it’s up to us as parents to guide our children along so they can learn the ropes before they are on their own. Our children have had it anything but easy in the past few years with a global pandemic, COVID-19, which has introduced a new normal to an entire generation. In addition to this unprecedented occurrence, our children will now be exposed to global unrest as we witness a war unleashed on a sovereign nation with the potential to grow across the globe with the slightest of miscalculations by the belligerents or bystanders.
When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” ~Marcus Aurelius, “Meditations”
The Power Within
True power comes from within. No one can take your intelligence, self-confidence, or your beliefs. The question is, how do we instill this awareness in to the next generation? This is the question I will surely struggle with as my children continue to grow up and face new challenges. Unfortunately, the only way we can be certain that our children are prepared is from passive observation.
Claudia and I ingest new parental approaches like candy. Always skeptical, but always learning. We have gone through phases of second-guessing decisions to raise them in the military due to having to move continuously, but have faith they will be more resilient for the experience. Our children, however, are no in it alone. No matter how much we prepare and guide them, they will always know their parents are available, no matter what.
Superhero syndrome – the misconception that to be successful, they must do everything themselves.” ~Chris Ducker, “Virtual Freedom”
I recently finished the book “Virtual Freedom” by Chris Ducker. The key take away from this experience is to accept you should never expect to got at it alone. The target audience for this book are individuals looking to become successful entrepreneurs and start something from nothing. There are several tips to ensure growth, leverage virtual assistants, and manage a company using a distributed model. The Aha moment I had while reading this book was how the same principles can be used, or are being used, in maintaining familial ties.
Family Ties
Generational wealth is a concept of leaving behind a significant amount of money or assets. It is important to note that this is not always an exact science. Riley Adams, a Certified Public Accountant, and author of the Young and the Invested article “What is Generational Wealth and how Do you build It?” approximately 70% of second generation and 90% of third generation lose the assets inherited. Claudia and I have chosen to leap neck deep into the real estate business to create financial independence for our future generations.
There are no guarantees in this world. We can only count on death and taxes, as is the saying, but we are willing to do our best to create a legacy for future generations to come. There’s nothing wrong with taking a gamble on family. Claudia just locked in another property in blue Ridge, Georgia. We are under contract and hope to close on the property by the end of this month. Our property portfolio continues to grow and our goal is to create an enterprise that puts our kids in a position to learn the game and take the reigns someday.
To Our Brothers and Sisters in Ukraine
In closing this reflection, I’d like to leave you all with our concerns for the many people negatively impacted in Ukraine by a clear violation of human rights. We will continue to show our support to their cause as well as teach our kids the fundamentals of human decency. Peace be to all of you who are reading this, be sure to do something selfless for your neighbor to show solidarity in selflessness and sacrifice. We stand with Ukraine! One team, one family! ~Doc