The best advice that I ever received was from a stranger. I was frantically running to my next appointment and I dropped my bag. He looked at me with a smile and said, “slow down, enjoy life, and plant a damn tree.” No, I am not lying, that happened. I was young, I was stressed, I was in a hurry, I was trying to make something of myself, and I was way over my head. The man must have seen right through me, and to be honest, I am thankful he did. I stopped and we talked a bit. We exchanged some pleasantries, laughed about my demeanor, and I went on my way. I did not ask him what he meant because I was familiar with the Warren Buffett quote where Buffett said, “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago"?
I thought it was a safe bet that this gentleman was referencing Warren Buffett that day. I wish that I could say that was a defining moment in my life and everything changed that day, but I was not that smart. I took notice and made a few attempts to change myself, but nothing really changed. I reverted to old habits.
Fast forward to a new career and being much older, I was once again at a crossroads in life. I was not happy, and I think people close to me knew it. I started to question what I was doing. This was my defining moment. My frustration in life led me to a season of exploration and discovery, my exploration and discovery led me to intense confusion, and finally my intense confusion led me to freedom.
This process of self-discovery led me to move my life forward. I started to think about why I was put on this earth. What did I care about? What do I really want to accomplish in my lifetime? If I were to live 80 years, do you know that means that I have a total of 42,048,000 minutes in my life? It started to dawn on me that life is precious. I remembered one day during my journey of self-discovery what that man said.
It made sense again. Slow down, enjoy life, and plant a damn tree!
Slow down... the rat race is just that, a race full of rats. Most people speed through life. The question is what do we accomplish? I am not suggesting that we do not seek to achieve or excel in life. That is not what I am suggesting, but if life is not appreciated for all it is worth than what have you gained? Some of the most successful people have routines that give them the ability to set their own pace. Don’t try and speed through life. Slow down! Savor every moment.
Enjoy life… do not let life pass you by. That is why we slow down, so we can enjoy it. I love my family; I love providing financial education and helping people explore and discover financial freedom. My work is more of a calling than a job. I enjoy what I do, and I savor those moments. My family is my reason I get up in the morning to live my life to the fullest so we can leave a legacy together.
Plant a damn tree… make your life purposeful. I think deep down we all want to leave a legacy. We want life to matter and yet we get so easily distracted. Distracted by worries, frustration, and desire to achieve something that we forgot to simply discover what we love and simply DO IT. Planting a tree can be the most powerful thing because you created something for someone else. It was purposeful and meaningful. What brings us meaning and purpose? I love my family, I am rooted in my faith, I love freedom and I am passionate about finances. The first two are personal values that bring me life and fill me up. I live for them. Yes, I work for them, but more importantly they are lifegiving. The latter two are important too and to a degree bring me life, but not like the first two. The latter two are more values that were planted in me to leverage my calling to help others. I connected my love for freedom and passion for finance to help others become financially free and independent. My family and faith are planting a tree in me (internal legacy). Freedom and Finance are how I plant a tree in society (external legacy)
Whatever you do in life, make it worth your while. Slow down, enjoy life, and plant a damn tree!
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