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Admit it. We crave connection, acceptance, and intimacy.
Finding and establishing a sense of belonging with our tribe is one of life's greatest joys. There is nothing more rewarding than experiencing the ups and downs of life with people who know, see, and accept us for who we are. Our social tendencies do, however, come with one major downside. Given enough time, we will either hurt or be hurt by someone close to us - oftentimes, family.
This is not an "If" but rather a matter of "When." What's your plan for when it happens? I have a suggestion... Forgiveness.
When interacting within our web of family networks, we must stand ready to forgive ourselves and people who might have offended us. Otherwise, we risk being bound by a regrettable mistake for the rest of our lives. We risk bounding others for the rest of their lives as well.
How does this connect to money, though? I'm glad that you asked.
Your net-worth, in my opinion, is directly associated with your self-worth. And intergenerational wealth creation is best established as a collective and not by a single individual. So, if you and another person are bounded by unforgiveness, it can stunt your internal perceptions of self-worth. Lacking self-worth means that you'll be hesitant to grow and more likely to hide. If you don't grow, you won't produce fruit. Without fruit, there is no seed. We need seeds to produce more fruit - more wealth.
Ironically, I have come to find that forgiveness is a critical part of wealth creation. When we forgive, we allow ourselves to be refined by our experiences instead of defined by them. This refinement process makes us a more superior product than the one we were before. Our growth produces confidence. Confidence leads to a more productive and fruitful life. More fruit leads to more seeds. And more seeds improve our opportunities to generate lasting wealth.
But this process is better together. Freeing others from their shame through forgiveness leads them down a similar path of fulfillment, fruitfulness, and generosity.
In the end, this means that we all experience more: More joy. More love. More contentment. More grace. More forgiveness. More family. More money.
If forgiveness, for yourself or others, is not a part of your wealth creation strategy, it's time to reconsider your strategy. You have yet to experience real abundance!