Depend on Your Trust Fund

“Don’t get so caught up in . . .worries that you miss out on living”

-       Kevin D. Freeman

Depend on Your Trust Fund

Most people think of a trust fund as a store of money set aside for their use.  I like to think of it a little differently.  For me it is a store of laws and friendships that allow me to draw on additional strength and knowledge.  Kevin Freeman likes to talk about these in terms of seven basis truths that he learned from John Templeton his greatest mentor.  They will help you in good times and bad.  Here are his seven secrets:

1.  Order Your Priorities.  Much of personal vulnerability is the direct result of misplaced priorities.  Many of the most successful people I know have their priorities in proper order.  For myself, I’ve found that when I focus only on business, life loses meaning.   So take the time to determine what makes you happy in life and then organize your being in order of what is most important to you.

2.  Know Where Your Treasure Is.  “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Most people get this backward: they let their treasure follow their heart.  My experience is that confusing this order causes unhappiness.  You can actually direct your heart by moving your treasure.  Make sure your treasurer is based on permanence.

3.  Count Your Blessings.  John Templeton said, “Counting your blessings can transform melancholy into cheerfulness; laughter and joy are expressions of peace and thanksgiving for life’s glories.  Thanksgiving is a creative force that, if lived on continuous basis and not just for one day each year, will create more good in your life and more to be thankful for.  Perhaps we could call this the life of thanksgiving.”  What I like most about John’s premise is that “thanksgiving leads to having more to give thanks for.”  He became a billionaire and attributed his success to a whole- hearted daily practice of this belief.

4.  Giving Is Living.  Life’s greatest investment is in life itself.  My favorite author says, “Why do you adorn yourself with things that don’t have life yet suffer the hungry and needy to pass you unnoticed?”  I know people who always give, even when they feel strapped financially, because they know it is an integral part of the law of cause and effect.  Remember that this philosophy extends beyond giving money.  The happiest moments of my life are when I’m spending time helping others.  If you’re feeling sad, give of yourself and your heart will be buoyed up immediately.

5.  Depend on Your Trust Fund.  I talked about this earlier.  Once you have set your priorities make sure you surround yourself with trusted advisors, friends that know you well and always support you in becoming your best self.  I honestly believe that the people in my trust fund are smarter and more successful than I am.  I’m truly grateful to have them as my friends.

6.  Never Give In.  I know you’ve faced many challenges in your life.  No doubt there will be many more challenges in the days to come.  What I’ve found is that studying history always gives me courage, strength and hope.  Some of the men I admire most lived through World War I, the Great Depression and World War II.  In the end, they lived full, successful lives that were filled with love.  They faced their time with courage and resolve.  After reading about them I’m always filled with their courage and believe I can do it because they did.  Take the time to research the lives of your own heroes and pay special attention to world events during their lifetime.  It will offer you new appreciation for the people you already admire and will give you hope.

7.  Only One Thing is Necessary.  Don’t worry so much about the things in this life that you miss out on the best things.  I know you have a great deal to worry about and a lot to do.  Don’t get so caught up in such worries that you miss out on living.  If you’re like me there are times when you just have to remind yourself that you’re alive today and may not be tomorrow.  Enjoy what is. 

The air was rather warm this morning and a gentile breeze filled my lungs.  All at once the sun pushed its way from behind a bank of clouds and I felt its warmth embrace my entire body and mind.  Only one thing mattered at that moment, the feeling of joy from the good that surrounded me.  It was all a matter of enjoying what is and trusting your ability to receive it.

We all depend on basic trust to live our lives.  Recognizing what and who makes up your trust fund will allow you to turn your life into one exceptionally lived.