A Father’s Legacy

There was an older gentleman by the name of George. He had spent his entire life working hard to achieve many great things. Though he had acquired material wealth through many years of sweat equity, to him, his greatest achievement was his children. He adored his children so much that early on in their lives, he had already decided how he was going to leave behind everything they needed for the day he was gone.

As the years went by, his children began to drift away from George. It seemed the many things the world promised grabbed their attention, and before long, they even stopped calling to check in with him as frequently.

His heart grew heavy as he aged. The children he was ready to give great riches to no longer seemed interested in the inheritance. The man began to grow ill, and still, there was no one around. As he came close to the end of his life, one by one, his children began to return to him. Having his children around once again filled George’s heart with glee. This feeling was short-lived, though, as he had conversations with each of them and noticed how much things had changed. In their time away from him, they had experienced many hardships financially, emotionally, and mentally.

In his final moments, George experienced a great deal of peace, knowing that once he was gone, his children would be taken care of. He was happy that, through his passing, his children could find peace. George passed away the very next day, and the funeral was held. His children began to argue over what was left behind. Each had their own hardships and felt, no matter what George’s will stated, that they had a right to be free from their pain. Each was given their fair share of the inheritance.

George’s home, business, and a lifetime of material wealth began to fade as his children blissfully spent all that their father had lived for. Though this windfall solved their immediate problems, the children found themselves back in the same position a few years later. They were again lost to the world—and this time, without George.

The Pursuit of Happiness

This story is a familiar one—it seems to repeat itself over and over. We need to look at these situations from a holistic approach. More importantly, let us look at them from a universal standpoint. Oftentimes, we find that we are motivated by promises of a reward. When we choose to operate on this idea alone, we ignore performing actions with purpose.

While it is true we create our own purpose for fulfilling a task by seeking a reward, we miss the true purpose of the task itself.

As working adults, we often perform great things for others with the promise that they will pay us for our effort. The reason we do these things is that we are focused on paying debts we may have or purchasing items that we want. As we complete this cycle, the sense of fulfillment is short-lived. Before we know it, we are pursuing happiness again, only to discover that it is not in the places we are looking for it.

We often treat each moment as a means to an end instead of living the moment itself. What we achieve does not make us better human beings, but the experience does. If you study at a university for many years to become an engineer only to receive a diploma, this does not make you an engineer. Achieving success does not make one successful. Though it is important to be goal-oriented, it is equally important to become that which you seek and not just seek results alone.

That Which You Seek

As we live our lives, it is important to realize that this is all an experience for us. If you believe in an afterlife, it is nice to consider the idea that we may be going to a better place when we leave this world. But instead of just waiting to pass away to see this new world, we should try to achieve it while we are alive.

Performing an action due to a promise lacks sincerity. We have to find purpose in this life to find heaven in the next. Just like the story at the beginning of this entry, if we only do what we think will grant us a better inheritance, we will eventually find ourselves in a worse predicament afterward. We all have an inheritance, but it is not waiting for us in a distant future—it is here for us now. The only thing we need to do is grab it.

Today, I would like for you to try to forget about all of your troubles. Realize that God has already taken care of everything for you. Instead of seeking the world, try—even if it is for just a brief moment—to live with purpose. If you believe you do not currently have a purpose, realize that you only need to look within to find that which you seek. Begin with loving yourself.egin with loving yourself and all things will begin to open up for you.