Tribute To My Dad

Last evening, we celebrated and honored my dad as he retires after 49 years of working as a CPA. Few people have a career that extends that long let alone at the same company. He came from a background of growing up on a farm, serving in the military, graduating with a bachelor and master’s degree in business and became a trusted advisor to many people and I’m proud of what he’s accomplished.

He’s worked diligently to provide for our family and serve clients with excellence and I recall many times sitting around the kitchen table listening to him share about preparing tax returns, complex accounting and business scenarios, investments, and a host of other financial topics. He was my first teacher in personal finance and as I’ve grown and developed in my own career, I’ve come to respect his knowledge and technical expertise even more.

Some of my iconic memories of him include crunching numbers on a roller tape calculator, reading the newspaper and books on many topics, working in the yard, taking us to church, and playing soccer and baseball with us growing up. He’s provided for, encouraged, prayed for, and served as a great resource to me throughout my life.

As he moves into a new season, I look forward to seeing what God has in store for him. He's a good man and I love him.

Future You

Photo by Dietmar Rabich

When you think of yourself in the future, what do you see? What do you want for future you? Have you ever thought, what would future you want current you to do? Current you can tackle challenges and pursue goals or let time pass by without taking any steps. Are you making wise choices that will lead to your desired outcome? Is current you compromising things that future you would regret? Every decision current you makes affects future you.

Does current you stay up late watching a movie and then future you is tired the next day? Does current you exercise consistently so that future you has good fitness?

Current you may want to eat or drink things that taste good at the moment but aren't very healthy and so future you pays the consequence. In contrast, future you is thankful to current you when you make good decisions around nutrition, feels better and has better health.

What about education? Whether reading, taking classes, talking with wise people, learning a new skill, practicing the skill or not, each of these result in a level of knowledge and ability that future you has in an area. 

Financially, is current you making choices that future you will appreciate or not? Do you have a savings and giving plan or do you spend without consideration of the future? Do you put good financial habits in place and seek accountability? Do you ask for counsel from knowledgeable people with expertise in this area or do you listen to get rich quick systems?

Of course, in thinking about future you, there will be others that you interact with along the way. Do you reach out to friends, maintain strong family ties, build relationships with colleagues, seek out opportunities to meet new people and make new friends? Does current you burn bridges or look for reconciliation? The relationships of future you will be impacted by who current you chooses to spend time with or not, who current you invests in or lets fade, who current you sets healthy boundaries with or allows others to take advantage of. 

What voices does current you listen to? Whether from news, social media, books, blogs, websites, movies, music, podcasts, people close to you, culture, celebrities, pastors, family, co-workers, neighbors, those you encounter in the marketplace, all of these will impact the worldview of future you. Are these voices  healthy and life giving, encouraging you along a path you want to take? Are there any voices that you need to turn the volume down on or remove from your life?

If current you could give advice to past you 5, 10, or 20 years ago, what would you tell yourself? What do you think future you would encourage current you to do?

Would future you appreciate if current you spent more time in prayer? Future you would be thankful for wisdom gained and intimacy formed with God through actively engaging with Him. He will guide you through life as you ask for direction and future you will be better for it.

Future you depends on current you. 

Consider who it is, where and what you want to be in the future. Work on your behalf and for your benefit. Future you will arrive where current you takes you. Let it be a path and place that future you is glad you took. 

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew