Whenever I get hit with a ‘look back’ question, my first thoughts go to career and financials. Meaning, my immediate reaction to the question is what have I accomplished and have I improved my financial legacy for my progeny? While this is easy to tally up, the deeper and more important question is whether I’ve grown as a person, husband, father, and global citizen? This is the really important question. The better question. The question that actually (really) matters.
You see, my legacy isn’t what people know me for. Though, this is nice for the ego.
My legacy is whether my children actually want to hang out with me when I’m old. My legacy is who they know me to be. They (+ wife) get to see the real me. The bad me. The nasty me. The real me. What would they say about my legacy?
My Last 5 Years in Work Have Been Hard
- Built a startup to early equity buy-out. Nice.
- Closed out a venture fund delivering 5x returns. Right before lockdowns. Whew!
- Built out a 165k sq/ft Bitcoin Mining facility sitting on 23 acres. Yes.
- Established new venture fund focused on capital deployment into Web3 & Bitcoin Mining. We’re still here and growing!
It’s the grind I enjoy though.
To build is to live. I believe I’ve said that all are created to build. Don’t need to build big. Just be active and take responsibility for the limited time you have on this planet.
My Last 5 Years in Personal Have Been ‘Ok’
I say this during a period of deep work. Hard work. With capital deployment from the fund good and done, it was simply a matter of time before I put code to keyboard again.
What falls by the wayside is character building.
Yes, I went through 366 days of stoic literature and made a video for each one of them. Yes, I’ve continued my daily reading schedule and growth in knowledge.
But have I become a better father? Have I become a better husband and provider? Have I become a better friend? A better steward of influence, action, words?
On a scale of:
- Back slidin’
- Horrible
- Bad
- No change
- Ok
- Good
- Great
I’d rate myself as ‘ok,’ and that makes me pause.
I’ve grown as an individual over the last 5 years, but I’ve always had a hard time putting worthy relationships into the priority box.
I wonder if it’s just too late to change. Old dogs can’t learn new tricks? Is being in your 40s mean that you’re pretty much locked into ‘who you are?’
I wouldn’t know. I haven’t gotten to 50 yet.
Regardless of the rationale, relationships with family + children are the most important. I must do better. It’s a time-issue. It’s a priority issue. Which drives me to value issue.
If you value it, then you prioritize it. You make time for it.
If you value them you make time for them.
All the best,
ps