By now, a number of you know that I help individuals plan for the unexpected and protect their valuables through strategic planning, so that they’re not just able to leave a legacy for future generations, but in a better position to avoid living in poverty when they’re no longer able to work. Today however, I want to talk about the last two movies I saw. I know… you should also know, that is if you don’t already know, that I’m good for some random information. I promise, there is a method to my madness…

This past weekend we took our kids to see Ralph breaks the internet. It’s a wonderful, wonderful movie, with a great little message. So, if you haven’t seen it, and you have little ones in your family, use them as an excuse to go see this movie.

The previous weekend, without the kids of course, my spouse and I saw the Movie Creed II. I LOVE Creed!

I saw the first Creed movie, and I couldn’t wait to see this one.

Believe it or not, I thought there was a bit of an overlap between these two very different movies. Just stick with me…

So, in Ralph breaks the internet, we were introduced to a character named Vanellope. She was a race car driver in the video game “Sugar Rush”, but it was obvious she was very different from the other drivers. She indicated early on that she was bored with the life or the game she was assigned to. Yearned for adventure. But, when she learned that the life she knew could cease the exist, she freaked out. She was apprehensive about the future. She hated the life she had, but it was the life she knew. Who was she?

Ironically enough, while on a quest with her best friend Ralph to save the life she was bored with to begin with, she discovered a life, a game, that she could truly be passionate about. A life, a game, where she felt she belonged. But it terrified her. She had nothing to go on. No one to emulate.  It was completely against the role she was designed to play. On so she thought. It was an unexpected mixture of attraction and fear. She felt like she would have to leave her best friend behind.  Life as she knew it would cease to exist. But… when she finally got to the point where she embraced her uniqueness, and bold enough to follow her own path, it all worked out. She finally realized that she did not necessarily have to have a parallel life with her best friend to remain best friends. Everything worked out!

Before I talk about Creed II, I want to backtrack to the first Creed movie. It’s been a few years since I watched the film, so I may be a little off. But… my recollection should be pretty close. I the opening scene, we were introduced to the main character Adonis.  We see his initial meeting with his adoptive mother…There’s a story there. But I won’t go there. They meet in what I believe was a juvenile detention center.

Before she is introduced, she is told that Adonis was often in trouble, because he couldn’t stop fighting. She became his adoptive mother, but she knew him very well. She was married to his father. She understood his legacy, even though he did not.

After she brought him under her wing, he understood why he was so drawn to fighting. He learned that his father was actually a very good and well-known fighter. Suddenly, all of things he didn’t know how to channel, made sense. He now knew where they came from. The very thing that made him an outcast, made him a champion.

I think that was part of Vanellope’s problem in Ralph breaks the internet. Again, she had nothing to go on. She was a video game character. She had no legacy to follow. She had to create her own path. One that was unexpected but was nevertheless the path that made her happy.

In Creed II, Adonis, now a fighter, had to create his own path. He had a battle to fight. I don’t know whether or not he necessarily believed in fight, but it was one he could not escape. It was part of his legacy. It was a fight that started with his father, and because he knew who he was, and he knew what was required of him, and he knew who his father was, and he knew that his own legacy was happening at that very moment… He was able to navigate through that situation and succeed.

So, what exactly am I trying to get to? How in the world is this even related to estate planning or legacy preservation? Alright, so here’s the deal. My opinion is that a person’s legacy is directly related to the experiences they leave with others. Specifically, the experiences which have the likelihood, the ability, the propensity to alter, improve influence or better the lives of others. That is your legacy!

And yes, that includes the family stories, the recipes, and much of the little things that you’ve been doing all of your lives. It includes the traditions that you may not necessarily think are important, and all the things that make your peeps unique. So, I hope you’re open to the possibility that some of the things you look today as merely a part of your norm, may be the very things that answer everything for your great grandchild. It may be the very thing that leads future generations to believe, all the things they are drawn to, even if they appear to be completely outside of what everyone else deems acceptable, is a part of their journey, their legacy, who they are. It will ultimately make them better people… if they are aware of it that is. So, what’s your job? Your job now is to make sure future generations are aware of your legacy. And of course, the best way to do that is to plan, and be proactive about preserving your legacy now. Your loved ones will thank you for it in the future.