Welcome to Career Advise, the newsletter providing career advice, how-tos, and life musings through an optimistic and intriguing lens.

Each week, you will receive two newsletters written by the Oppstartr Team. Mondays — Our career-focused newsletter. Fridays — Out of Office where we discuss life and other thought-provoking ideas.

Happy Friday to you all, and welcome to Out of Office, the weekend edition of Career Advise.

What Do I Mean?

At first glance, this question may seem confusing. But, I think it will provide guidance for your life and foster a profound sense of meaning.

Note: You can substitute great-great-grandchildren with those who will learn from the people you have taught; you don’t necessarily need to be related. I certainly have taken wisdom from those whom I am not related to, and I will surely pass their wisdom to my descendants.

In my post, Are We Significant as Individuals?, I mentioned that our thoughts, much like our genetic code, are unique to us. Also in that post, I mentioned epigenetics, which is how our genes change over time due to environmental factors. However, that is not the full story of epigenetics. There is another side to epigenetics; what our ancestors did and how it affected their genes could also get passed down to us. In simpler terms, you inherited the genetic changes that happened based on your grandparents' actions and environment.

Wild.

Just as our grandparents’ genes were passed along to us and then made us who we are, I argue, so too did their thoughts and possessions make us who we are, whether they were good or bad. Epigenetics of character, if you will.

So, I want you to think about the people who came before you, especially grandparents and the generations above. Is there something they did or left behind for you that has impacted your life, whether directly or indirectly, for example, through your parents? Think about that. Was there a guiding principle, perhaps some money, or maybe it was simply being a familial role model?

If so, how has it impacted you?

If what they did had a positive impact on you, why wouldn’t you do the same for your descendants, even those you will never meet?

Can we positively influence future generations based on what we do in our lives?

I think so.

What We Leave Behind, Both Tangible and Intangible

Assets

Likely, you are thinking about money passed through the generations, i.e. inheritance or generational wealth. If you can leave money behind for your descendants, that is great. That money could go to college funds, to invest in businesses, to buy homes, etc. The financial legacy is not a trivial one, but I am fully aware this may not be practical for all people, and that is why I don’t consider it a moral obligation to do so. However, if you have the means, it can be very impactful for your family. I hope that I can leave some money for my descendants and that they use those funds in a just and useful way.

Assets can be thought of in other ways besides inheritance. It can be what you have given your children in their lives: a good home, an education, and proper nutrition that hopefully sets them up to provide the same for future generations. These are foundational assets that allow for a good environment from which to raise a family.

I don’t believe money and assets are the most important things we can leave for our children. Without guidance and a moral framework, money can be squandered or used unjustly, and in practice, generational wealth usually doesn’t make it past the third generation.

That leads me to my next point:

Principles, Character, and Wisdom

The intangibles that we will leave behind are far more important and impactful. Whereas money cannot be equally and wholely shared, the principles, character, and wisdom that you instill into your descendants can be shared equally and wholely. These are free and evergreen, and they don’t rely on market rates. Though, if you have many descendants, your principles, character, and wisdom might compound.

In my own life, I know that some of my ancestors, whom I've never met, had an impact on family members whom I have met. I’ve heard the stories about the principles, character, and wisdom of my forebearers and deduced that these traits have made their way into my life today.

How will you raise your children? Will you be loving but not to the point of spoiling them? Will you be a disciplinarian not for the sake of crushing but to teach right from wrong?

When your descendants go through an old Google Photos album and they see your picture (let’s be honest, your picture won’t be in an old trunk), will they remember the story they heard about how you persevered through difficult times or how you were patriarch or matriarch of the family? Will they be grateful for the foundation you set long ago?

How will you live your life so that these traits are passed along to future generations?

Live for Others and Have a Good Life

I would argue that if you live your life in a way that has a positive influence on the generations long after you are gone, you lived life to the fullest, made the best of what you were given, and tried to live in the most moral way possible. Living for others gives your life meaning and purpose, and that may just be the purpose of life.

A good life.

In honor of those who came before me.

Thank you for reading Career Advise. Be sure to read our upcoming issue on Monday where we focus on our second pillar: Navigate the Gray.

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