The earnest pursuit of Total Family Wealth is not a D.I.Y. project. The scope, complexity, and importance of the mission requires a community of support to get it right. Listening to our podcasts and reading through our recommended resources, while helpful, will not be enough to get you across the finish line. The plain truth is this: to successfully navigate your abundance you will need to lean upon the help and encouragement of other human beings.

There is a lot we could add to this “teamwork makes the dream work” idea, but for now we’ll make just a few comments to get you thinking…

Keep in mind that the skill sets that many entrepreneurs and business leaders leveraged to amass “Ledger Wealth” is not always transferable to the building of “Legacy Wealth”. Please let that sink in for a minute. It may be wise to enlist the seasoned, expert help of others in areas that are not familiar to you.

While it is wise to learn from your own mistakes, it’s pure genius to learn from other people’s mistakes! Whatever questions you may have, whatever challenges you may face, whatever problems you need solved, whatever opportunities you wish to pursue, somebody has already been there and would be willing to be a resource for you! The benefit of tapping into the experiences of others, both the good and the bad, cannot be overstated.

This is the “Success Formula” we at Navigating Abundance want to religiously follow. Why is this equation so central to all that we are trying to do?

1. Because information void of inspiration is just an intellectual exercise.
2. Because inspiration void of information is just an emotional high.
3. Because information delivered with inspiration produces life change!

This is what hiring a personal trainer is all about. Why do you need some high-octane person getting all up in your life three times a week? First, you need them to inform you as to how to use the exercise equipment safely and with the greatest effect. Second, you need them to inspire you to push through your routine, be faithful to your diet, and keep track of your progress. Unless they are able to effectively deliver both information and inspiration to you, you will never reach your desired goals. They are in effect applying the “Success Formula” to your situation. This is what we endeavor to do as well.

Thankfully, there has already been a good deal written regarding Total Family Wealth concepts that are readily available for you to access if you so choose (see our Resource Page for some examples). The same is true of Podcasts. In fact, we have found that the Abundance Community is blessed with some very bright people who are open and collaborative with their research, solutions, and resources. “Information” then is not the problem we are trying to solve for.

“Transformation”, the turning of theory into reality, is what we really want to be all about. To that end, we will work tirelessly to communicate in such a way that both informs the mind and inspires the heart to change.

This is so much easier said than done. The deadlines and distractions of 21st century life make it very difficult to remain focused on what our ultimate priorities are or even should be. To make matters worse, wealth can often complicate the problem.

The plain truth is we cannot allow that which is important to seduce us away from that which is essential. We must fight this battle every day. Fight with all our might.

Charles Dicken’s masterpiece, “A Christmas Carol” may be of assistance here. This beloved seasonal novella spins a powerful cautionary tale as relevant today as when it was first introduced to the world in 1843.

As you recall, Ebenezer Scrooge was a very successful but pitiful character. Embittered by some hard knock experiences in his youth, he had hopelessly lost sight of all that was important and beautiful in this world. Money became his greatest priority and as a result, misery his greatest company. But then his lucky break came in the form of three visiting spirits: “Christmas Past”, “Christmas Present”, and “Christmas Which is Yet To Come”. Through a series of spooky field trips, Ebenezer comes face to face with the inevitable consequences of a life hyper-focused on an inferior prize, that being the accumulation of assets.

Mortified, Ebenezer undergoes a radical conversion experience and as a result, completely turns his life around. He finds his soul’s reset button, pushes it, and dedicates the rest of his life to the pursuit of that which is truly significant. One could say he had been “born again” to a new and living reality . . .

“People are more important than profits”.

When our time has come, our final words to our loved ones will probably not be anything like; “Alas, if only I would have added another million or two to my estate!” No, inherently we all understand that the most valuable assets in our lives are too previous to be quantified with a calculator. This should tell us something about how our priorities should be arranged today.

Here at Navigating Abundance, we are all about advancing the pursuit of Total Family Wealth. Your Ledger Wealth, your Logistic Wealth, and your Legacy Wealth are all vitally important and most worthy of looking after. But make no mistake, the greatest of these is your Legacy Wealth. It is not even close. For the truth is, the best return on investment you will ever receive will be realized through the lives of those you love.

Just like magic, abundance ushers in a new form of currency into our lives. This new currency quickly becomes far more valuable to us than the dollars and cents we are used to managing. In fact, we actively pursue opportunities to spend our dollars and cents so as to acquire more of it.

To facilitate this exchange, endless “service industries” have been created, and have become so necessary to modern life that they often represent one of the larger sector contributors to a country’s GDP. Mark it down, the pursuit of this new and precious currency is serious business.

As her life was nearing the end, Queen Elizabeth I was reported to have said something rather vulnerable . . .

“All of my possessions for a moment of time”.

There it is – the great exchange!

While this story may well be apocryphal, the truly wise will consider it instructional. Money is infinite, time is finite.

We can arrange our lives to never run out of money, but we cannot arrange our lives to never run out of time. When our number is called, our number is called. Money remains; we must fly.

This is the heavy stuff for sure. Coming to the realization that we are all “dust in the wind” can certainly induce a panic attack or two. But it also can serve to motivate us to strive out into the world every day with a little more urgency in our step. Can you imagine how valuable it would be to connect with people who try to practice this philosophy and encourage you to do the same? Not everybody does, you know.

We hope that you share in our belief that Total Family Wealth is a most critical mission. It is, without a doubt, to be the greatest quest of your life. It is why you are here at all.

There is no time to waste.

Tempus fugit.