This morning, I went to pick up our family Christmas tree. I arrived when the farm stand opened, picked out a fantastic tree, and headed inside to pay.
As I checked out, I asked the young man at the counter if he was Jon. He politely replied, “No, Jon is my younger brother. He’s not back from college yet. How do you know Jon?”
“Jon and my oldest child went to preschool together seventeen years ago.”
I never feel old. People are routinely surprised that I am in my early fifties. (I hope that’s because I look and act young, not immature.)
But the reality is that I AM in my early fifties, which means a few things.
1. I am over halfway through my life.
The men in my family typically live into their early nineties. God-willing, I will do the same.
2. I have experienced and learned a lot.
Life is the best teacher if you take time to reflect on it.
3. Keeping what I have learned to myself is SELFISH.
I am all for being humble. (See #2: humility is the gateway to learning.) But keeping what I have learned to myself is not humble. It is selfish and egotistical.
During my college years, I traveled representing our college. We would stay with host families and do presentations at non-profits on the weekend. In our training, we were instructed to: 1) Always leave a thank-you note. People graciously opened their homes to us, and saying thank you was appropriate. 2) Always, ALWAYS, leave our host family’s house BETTER than we found it.
These are great rules for life.
- Always express gratitude.
- Leave it better than you found it.
So, I am wrestling with this question in my early 50s: “How can I leave the world and the succeeding generations in a better place than where I found them?”
I don’t have the complete answer, but here are some quick thoughts:
- My mistakes and missteps should be shared, not hidden.
- I am a steward of the time, talent, insights, and experiences I have been given. To keep them to myself is selfish.
- There is enough. Too many of our cultural stories are based on scarcity and fear. This causes us to hoard and be stingy, which is a miserable way to live.
- It is more fulfilling to help others succeed than to ACT like I have succeeded.
So, I challenge you to live with open hands and open hearts. Don’t be stingy with what you have learned. Share it. It’s the best way to leave the world better than we found it.