The Fall
Many parents want to create the ideal circumstances for their homes. They want to build the heaven on earth they hear is possible. They want it all. They go about it with all their might to reach the impossible.
When working solo, even as a couple, ideas are limited to what the two can come up with. There are many millions of brilliant ideas tucked away in books, the minds of others, in the experience of many, and in the wise counsel of those who have gone before you. Without these ideas, one is not likely to have all the resources possible.
Why? How come?
To paraphrase another popular quote… one needs to build on the shoulders of giants to get much further ahead in life. Truth is, one can build but so much on their own. But when standing on the shoulders of giants, one can reach far greater heights.
Mixing metaphors some more
When filled with haughtiness and pride, one will often feel superior and self important. The view that one is better often means one is blind to one’s weakness, because one thinks one is better than one is.
To hold such a view puts everyone in your family at risk. A couple with such a view puts the whole family and community they influence at risk.
While more of the risk and solutions will be discussed in a future blog post, let’s move towards a good conclusion point for today.
One may have reached heights aided by the shoulders of giants. That’s good if you’ve gotten this far. However, the greater the height, the greater the influence, the greater the responsibilities, the greater the fall if one is taken by pride and arrogance. I mix the two because that combination is often far more “lethal” that just one of the two
When cruising at high altitude, even when you’re leading innovation, it is critically important to remain open to ideas. Keep a finger on the pulse. Keep an ear close to the ground. To be humble enough to know you don’t know everything. It’s massively important to listen to those who depend on you, as any business will tell you… listen to your customers.
By better understanding the cost to those who depend on your decisions, you’re able to make better choices and frame things better for everyone. By remaining humble, one can remain nibble.
Let’s not rush ignorantly into things as CEOs of the homes we’re charged to manage. A singular fall is quite embarrassing enough as it is, taking down an entire family is just travesty.
In a soon coming blog post, we’ll continue this conversation and dive a bit deeper into more ideas around safeguarding the home from disastrous pride driven falls.
