SECTION 1THINKING THROUGH WHAT MATTERS MOST
We begin this book of tools and exercises at the beginning: with what truly matters to you. Of course, the aim of these chapters is not to tell you what matters or what should matter to you, but rather to help you and your family members discern and clarify what matters to yourselves.
The first Wealth of Wisdom volume (The Top 50 Questions Wealthy Families Ask) offered its readers questions to explore. This volume focuses on exercises or tools, but sometimes questions can be tools too. In the first chapter in this section, Ellen Perry offers four questions to discuss as a family:
- What can I do more of that makes you feel close to me?
- What can I do less of that makes you lean out emotionally?
- What do you wish I understood more about who you are or what you value?
- What are your favorite stories from childhood and why?
Sometimes the simplest questions are the hardest to answer and the most rewarding to discuss.
Many people express what matters most in the form of “values.” As a result, many families seek to clarify their shared values, as a guide to action. In the next chapter in this section, Doug Baumoel and Blair Trippe help readers discern their “actionable values,” that is, values that, in one's experience, have led to specific outcomes or results. By focusing on actionable values rather than individuals' beliefs (political, moral, or otherwise), families can mitigate conflict and identify powerful shared direction.
Sharna Goldseker ...
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