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Why Estate Planning is About Living Courageously

Estate Planning Courageously

The topic of estate planning in Florida, or wherever your home state may be, is not usually thought of as exciting, and it might even be considered a bit boring depending upon the audience.  However, regardless of the topic, many people are perpetually bored with themselves or their life, and you might say this is a bit of an epidemic.

Worse yet, many are unaware that they are bored.  So, what are the keys to eliminating boredom by “estate planning courageously” to leave a great legacy for your loved ones?

To answer this question, I’m waxing a bit philosophical in this week’s article about living a great life courageously.

Estate planning is about living your life courageously, as many self help gurus and spiritual teachers have suggested that getting comfortable with death is actually a great key to living a great life, and estate planning is also a catalyst toward identifying your highest values and this “clarity” can be a key to escaping boredom.

Estate Planning Exemplifies Living a Courageous Life 

Doing your estate planning can be a courageous step and a catalyst toward getting comfortable with the reality of death, and this contributes to living a great life.

Facing the Fear of Death 

According to Lisa Rankin, M.D., author of The Fear Cure, refers to the common definition of courage (according dictionary.com) as the “quality of mind that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear,” but she says, “courage is not about being fearless but rather about letting fear transform you so you come into right relationship with uncertainty, make peace with impermanence, and wake up to who you really are.

Of course, as an estate planning attorney in Florida, I think that is a terrific insight that applies directly to the trust and estate planning process, because all of this involves making peace with impermanence and this helps us wake up to who we really are.

Aligning Toward Your Highest Purposes and Passions 

Doing your estate planning can be a key part of aligning your life with your highest purposes and passions, and this is the key to living courageously. 

Estate directly involves ascertaining your highest values and creating a plan that will carry on your highest goals.  For more information about our approach, visit our overview describing our 360 degree estate planning process.

The Eastern Philosopher Osho, in his book Courage…the Joy of Living Dangerously, talks about how boredom simply means that the way you are living is wrong, and thus realizing this can become a great event.  He elaborates that “understanding that I am bored and something needs to be done” and that “some transformation is needed” is a good beginning.  He goes on to ask the questions of “why does one feel bored?”  He suggests that one feels bored when one has been living in dead patterns given to you by others.

It is not about money, power or prestige, and applies regardless of one’s age or station in life.  It is a question of what one intrinsically wants to do, and for each person, this is a different unique thing.   Osho’s book, and I suggest a great estate planning process, is all about finding out what you want to do, and resisting dead patterns or the “right way” given to you by others to follow.  That “right way” given by others is a huge catalyst toward creating boredom; whereas, finding your way is a path to true excitement whether it be gardening, fishing, business or law.

Another really important thought is that boredom can disappear in a single moment if you are ready to risk.  What is the thing that you’ve been holding yourself back from because you’ve been told by the crowd that it isn’t the “right way”.  Osho would suggest that one may be bored with himself because he hasn’t been sincere with himself.  I suggest that a great estate planning process is also all about getting very sincere with oneself.

So, there you have it. Becoming comfortable with our impermanence, and charting your own path with courage and sincerity are two keys, both for your estate planning and in all other matters, to living a great life that is free of boredom.

This is an updated version of an original post dated, June 23, 2016.