Be a generational thinker

Arthur Marara Motivation for Success 
“SOMEONE is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” (Warren Buffett).
Warren Buffet’s words take me back to my rural home of Guruve. I have had the benefit of being in my grandfather’s mango orchard. Out of curiosity, I asked one of my uncles the story behind these trees. I was told that my grandfather, Elias Nhemachena, who was nicknamed “Marara” because he was a very smart person — and apparently this is where my surname came from — planted those trees way back in the 1950s before he passed away in 1968, before I was even born. Being a chief then, he also encouraged the planting of these trees in his area and today mango trees are a common feature in my rural area.

Despite the fact that I was not able to meet him, I am able to connect with his legacy, he left a seed for my generation and generations to come.

His own family, my father included, benefited from the sale of the fruits and were able to make a living even after my grandfather had passed away.

Savings accrued from the sales were even used to purchase a motor vehicle which was used to transport the mango fruits for sale at the business centre in the 1970s.

But what was the secret behind all this? Generational thinking!
Someone envisioned it and encouraged the whole community to do it. This week, I want to challenge you to be a generational thinker.

Sow seeds for the future
Generational thinkers sow seeds for generations to come. Generational thinkers think beyond today, they think about tomorrow and years after. I just told you about my grandfather, I don’t know your case.

It might not just be fruits that you want to pass on to the next generation. It might be a better foundation to life. It might be a better start in the marriage life for your children.

It might even be better education for them. In some instances, it might just be peace of mind that you want to give them.

Today counts
It is what we do or fail to do that makes our future. Some people’s lives would have been better if they made investments during their prime. Others are in much better circumstances because they endured the pain of discipline.

The future is a product of the actions and inactions of today. Make wise choices today and you will be remembered for the right reasons. What are you doing today? Is it contributing to a better generation?

Think and look beyond yourself
Do not just think in terms of yourself, think of the generations to come. Do not just live for today. Give value to the generations to come. Leave the world a better place than you found it. Make your family better. Eventually, someone will have to pay for all that you are doing.

Children have to face the indiscretions of their parents. Great people think and live beyond themselves. Make life easy for people who will come after you. Make investments for your grandchildren, buy immovable properties for them if your funds permit. Sit down with your financial advisor and see the other ways you can make worthwhile investments for generations to come.

Great people think of generations to come.
Have you ever thought about how the way you are living your life will have consequences on generations to come? The reality is that many people do not actually think about all this. The thrust is just to live and do what the heat of the moment demands and dictates. If we are going to live a meaningful life, we need to learn and start thinking generationally.

Make life easy for the generations to come. Many people are busy destroying relations and making it difficult for the children.

Dr Mike Murdock once said that, “A person is remembered for two things: problems they have caused and problems they have solved.” Are you causing problems or are you solving them for the future generations. More often than not, if you are not solving problems, you are actually causing them.

Our children’s future is our responsibility
“All good men and women must take responsibility to create legacies that will take the next generation to a level we could only imagine”. (Jim Rohn).

Generations to come must be better than you in every respect because you laid the foundation for them.

An interesting story is captured by the writer of 2 Kings 4:1. “A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, ‘Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”(NKJV).

The interesting thing in this story is that a pastor/prophet’s children are about to be committed into slavery because of the debts of their father who had died.

The irony is that the pastor/prophet in this case feared the Lord, but he did not fear debt! The very people who should actually be leading by example in their families are actually leaving problems for them.

Where is the problem? Generational thinking! Do not be distracted by the nature of your office, it will not compensate for what you are supposed to do as an individual.

Inspire the coming generations
“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then you are an excellent leader.” (Dolly Parton, singer).

Leadership starts at home and develops outside! Give your children a fresh and clean start.
The greatest gift that we can give to posterity is a better start.

I want to challenge you to think twice about generations to come. Be remembered for the right reasons. Create your legacy by caring for others.

“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” (Shannon L. Alder)

Who is going to clean up your mess?
We rarely think about this.
We often rent a property and run it down, making lives difficult for other tenants who will use the same property in future.

We drop litter everywhere and expect someone to clean it up. We ruin our marriages and expect things to be miraculously in order.

Some men are even busy fathering children out of wedlock with little thought as to who is going to take care of them.

Drive along the highways and you will see people using some huge stones to support their cars while replacing their wheels, and once they are done, they do not remove them from the road. They just drive off, endangering other road users.

Also some people are busy destroying family relations, only to make life difficult for generations to come.

Some food for thought
I want you to take some time and think through your life and your actions and answer this question: “Will life be easier for those people who will come after you?”

If your answer is negative, you need to start working on your life. Become a generational thinker.

Clean up your life and do not punish the next generation through your indiscretions.

Arthur Marara is an attorney, author and motivational speaker. He is author of motivational book, “Personal Development Toolkit”. Send your feedback to [email protected] or join him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ArthurMarara