To help me prioritize how I spend my time, someone suggested I make a bucket list. Three lists, actually. What would I do if I knew I were going to die in a year? In five years? In ten? (Maybe I'd do some research to understand whether I should say "if I knew I was going to die" or "if I knew I were going to die" and why I should make that choice).
I had no trouble with the one-year list. If I only had a year to live, I knew right away that I'd move to Boston and spend as much time as I could with my kids and grandkids -- with occasional flights to San Francisco to spend some time with my kids there. If Bobbi, who hates cities, came to Boston with me that would be wonderful. If not -- well, I'd go anyway. That much was clear. (I'm still working on the five and ten year lists.)
I wouldn't be doing it to spend my final days with the people I love best, but to pass on more of what I've learned. My goal wouldn't be to live through my kids. It's not about me at all. Or them, really. It's about knowledge. That was an interesting insight.
I've spent a lot of my life acquiring knowledge. Indeed, I've spent the better part of my life doing it, pun intended, thank you. Why? Lots of reasons.
In part, I want to have answers when people want them. When someone's got a question and I've got the answer -- or I know where I can get it -- I love it!
In part, it's because I think it's just plain cool to know things.
In part it's because I love to see how all the pieces of the world fit together in a beautiful pattern. I like solving puzzles, and life's a giant puzzle. I can't solve it all, but I can solve bits of it. And that's fun.
But as much as I like sharing my treasure, until now I've cared more about collecting than sharing.
Listen up, kids! I'm not going to die in a year--at least not as far as I know. But I really do want to pass on what I know.
In part, it's because I like it when people admire me for knowing stuff.
Some say knowledge is power. It is, and for me knowledge is also treasure. It's treasure that I'm very willing to share--even eager to share--with people who value knowledge as I do. Hell, I'll share it with anyone willing to sit still and listen.
Thinking about the end of my life makes me realize that when I die my collection dies with me. And that doesn't have to happen.
My kids are special to me for lots of reasons. They're special in this context because they're the people most likely to listen when I've got something to say. They'll listen especially carefully if they think I won't be around much longer to say it.
Knowledge is valuable. Knowledge is beautiful. Knowing is joyful. My store of knowledge is my treasure. I can share all of it without losing a bit of it. In fact, I will gain by sharing.
But I realize, sharing knowledge is not cost free. Every minute I spend sharing my fortune is a minute taken from expanding it . My bucket list thought experiment tells me I don't want my fortune to vanish when I die. I want it to live on. It tells me that I've been selfish and shortsighted enough to keep building my fortune and only stop when it's clear that I'm going to lose it very soon. Only then would I get serious about giving it away.
It's time to change my strategy. More time for estate planning and sharing my wealth--even if it means less time adding treasure.
Here's the first installment.
I hope you like it. If you do, you're welcome! Add it to your own fortune and consider spending more of your own time sharing your own wealth.
