As I am enjoying my Alaska cruise and attending the Hay House Publishing Speak/Write/Promote workshop, I am having the time of my life. I am hanging with people who are already successful doing what I want to (and will be) doing. Couldn’t be a better fit. Today I am in the port in Juneau, my first time off the ship with an internet connection!
As I visit with the many travelers on the ship, I hear an all too familiar story. The ones that are traveling have many stories of friends that won’t travel with them. Friends that are retired, widowed, single or still married, but they choose not to travel as they are “leaving their savings for their children”. Leaving their hard-earned money for their children? This blows my mind!
You see I come from a family with absolutely nothing. At one point in our lives, my sisters and I learned that our real father, I’m sure out of guilt, left us his oil rights. When I heard this, I couldn’t help but giggle as there is no way this would happen. We were born with nothing, and we would be left nothing. The other thing I assumed is we would all get a check for $1.26 or something like that. Once again I was right as it turns out his family contested his wishes, and once again we were right where we started; living with what we made. No surprise for me! Nothing lost as nothing gained.
Why would you work all of your life, retire and not travel or have things you want to spend your money on? Think about this. If you leave your savings for your children and never show them how to live, what do you think their children are being taught? They will know that they too need to stay put, not go see the world, but to sock their money away so their kids can have it. You do realize that eventually, one of the generations is going to take the entire wad and travel the world and break the crazy cycle. I support the generation that does this.
Warren Buffet has it right. He is not leaving his fortune to his kids. They knew their entire lives that they had to figure out how they would make their own living and find their place in this world. They never expected a dime because they know darned well; they won’t be getting any of it.
You work your entire life, take those golden years and see those places you’ve only seen on TV, movies and in your dreams. What do you have to lose? You already know you can’t take it with you, right? The other option is to leave it to your kids… but why? Seriously again, think about this. Do you want to teach them to do the same because that is what you are doing? You are not LIVING! Get the heck out and go on a cruise. I promise you will break your crazy way of thinking. With this, you are teaching your next generation that living is for the living. You teach them to earn what they need for their retirement so they will be set the way they need to be set. It’s a grown-up way of thinking. It teaches them how to prepare for their future and teaching their kids the same.
We never know when our time will be up OR if the entire west coast will be taken out by the “eminent” tsunami. What do you have to lose?
I would add more pictures, but I am on a quick break in a café with WiFi. I thank them for their signal! Please visit them when in Juneau, you will love them. The link is right here!