The art of preparedness and will writing!

Preparation is half the battle won. But how much does one prepare? and can one always be prepared?  Too much preparation will take the fun out of life. In fact, we’ll end up preparing so much that we may forget to just live! 
But don't you think it's important to prepare for death? Well, that's not as morbid as it sounds, you know. Preparing for the journey of life and most especially the final destination should be a priority, right? Join me on this podcast as I discuss the art of preparation, the aspect of disasters including COVID 19 and preparing for the most important journey we all are undertaking, Life.

Transcript

The art of preparedness and will writing!

Hello Everyone and welcome to the podcast of the Ordinary Maverick. This is Ajey, your host, an ordinary Maverick sharing real life thoughts and experiences and Maverick tips.

Preparation is half the battle won. We’ve all heard this at some point in our lives. Or at least thought about it. Especially when things don’t go well, the thought pops in…oh, if only I had prepared better. Or if only I saw that coming. Well, life is about preparedness. Think about it…sometimes, one comes to a critical moment in one’s life and there comes the feeling….I think I’ve been preparing and planning for this moment all my life! Have you ever felt anything like that?

Preparedness is not only about those big things, like an exam, or preparing for a particular job, or you know preparing to launch a satellite! Preparation is also about the small things. The little things in life that matter so much. It’s about making someone’s day special, planning for a birthday celebration, or planning a dinner party, planning a holiday together, or just planning your day! The pleasure one gets when a well planned event or occasion goes well is indescribable. And of course, when things don’t go so well, even though well planned, then also, the feeling is indescribable or shall I say, unforgettable. The disappointment, hurt, at times anger, those feelings of an event gone wrong can stay with you forever.

But today, let’s focus, on the happy results of good preparation. I’ve spoken about this before, I was in the corporate sector, working in marketing. And I can tell you, when you work in marketing, you learn to PREPARE. I was part of teams that launched products and very successful ones. And I must say, the amount of preparation that goes into a product launch is phenomenal. One prepares for every eventuality. Discusses all the pros and cons, has plans B, C and even D and E. and it’s all for 1 product. This is for business. I am not at all convinced that we do the same in real life. For ourselves. Most of us don’t even think through ‘a’ plan…forget about plan B, C, D …

And of course, there are times in life when one can prepare all you want..but then disaster strikes and one realizes how vulnerable we all are. I recall hearing about a friend’s cousin who experienced the impact of the Tsunami firsthand. Waking up, drinking coffee from the window and gazing out to the sea was routine for him. But on that day, the sea looked different, and he saw a gigantic wave in the distant horizon. All he could think was ‘Run’. That’s what his gut feeling and instinct was…and that’s what he did, along with his wife and child. They ran out of the house, uphill and found other people running, got into cars that were heading out. When he turned to look back…it was a sight he will never ever forget. His entire house was engulfed in the gigantic sea wave. They made it out just in the nick of time. Now one would argue that it was luck or fate. But I see it as preparation. He was a man working in the defense services, and he’d undergone training for preparedness and what to do in cases of disasters. Quick thinking and action saved him and his family that day.

That’s why fire drills and emergency planning and preparedness are so critical. We see that in the second and third waves of the COVID 19 pandemic that the world is experiencing now. We are better prepared and have some understanding of what needs to be in place and what to watch out for. Last year, when the virus was so new to everybody, there was a strong and overwhelming fear factor, the fear of the unknown and what do we do…we are not prepared. But this year, it’s different. 

But then, the pandemic and many natural disasters also make us realize that we can’t always be prepared all the time. Too much preparation will take the fun out of life. In fact, we’ll end up preparing so much that we may forget to just live! Ha ha!

So what CAN we do? Well..we can work on our mental make up, our approach to calamities, our mental preparedness. Because you know what, it’s the way one approaches the disaster, the emergency ….that’s what makes all the difference and also determines how one steps out of it.

So yes, we can’t prepare for everything externally. That’s out of our control. But what we can prepare for is our internal readiness. And here’s where it gets so fascinating. Remember the Maverick formula, and the component of being mindful. Well, mindfulness, being aware of all that is going on around you and yet being able to keep calm. Be in the moment, yes, but kind of in the moment from outside..what I mean is, you’re aware of every detail during the crisis, example, you’re aware that your breathing changes when there’s a threat etc. Practicing mindfulness prepares our minds to respond better during a crisis. 

The Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius once said, ‘Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.’ Aurelius was the last of the five good emperors of the Roman empire. He symbolized the golden age of the empire and the end of his reign marked the end of the period of internal tranquility and good governance.  

So, keeping this in mind, one of the most important things that one can do in life is prepare for death. Now that may sound morbid. But wait a minute, pause and reflect. Death is the one certainty in life. And if that’s the case and we all agree then why don’t we prepare for it? And when I say prepare, I am referring to making our wills. You know the definition of a will? It is a legal document that spells out your wishes regarding the care of your children, as well as the distribution of your assets after your death. Many think wills are only for those that have big businesses, or are very rich. Well, that’s not true. A will can be about your personal possessions that mean the world to you and need not be expensive in monetary terms. Also, a will can share your wishes about caring for your children especially if they are minors. It also helps decrease the stress and any conflict amongst close relatives and family as a will clearly outlines what your wishes are.

Have you made your will? Well, I have. And let me share a bit of my story here.

So first, the reactions we got, my wife and I, when we shared that we’ve made our will. There’s a general perception and belief that one shouldn’t speak of death and definitely not ‘prepare’ for it!. And our immediate family and friends were like, what? Why are you’ll making a will? You’ll are too young..etc etc. Now, think through this well…life is so unpredictable. In fact, the very definition of life is that one never knows what’s happening next…right? And just as we prepare for any journey so that the end result is successful…well, the same way, we need to prepare for the journey of life and ensure that it ends well.

Preparing a will is one of the most interesting, challenging but fulfilling pieces of preparation you will ever do. Take it from me, I speak from experience. There’s a practical side to it and an emotional, sentimental side to it. It’s also cathartic in some ways…You go through all your possessions, everything you’ve gathered in your life time and then you also start decreasing your clutter. Yes, many things you just discard. Say to yourself, this is not needed.. why am I holding on to it? And then you narrow down to those few possessions, can be a set of books, can be the first piece of jewellery you bought, something in your kitchen that has a bit of sentimental value, or a painting that was done together or holds memories of the place it was bought from. And as you go through and identify who will get what, a sense of calm prevails. I don’t quite know how to describe it..one just feels settled. Writing it all down, putting it on paper just makes it feel so secure. That even when we are not there, these few possessions, and our properties, our assets and everything we’ve listed will be safe, will be with people that we’ve built a bond with and the memories will live on.

And of course, preparing the will is one thing. Then we find the 2 witnesses and then the notarization. That’s when the will becomes official. We’ve had open discussions with our daughters and express our thoughts and the contents of the will quite freely with them. I am truly grateful and many a time, humbled by our relationship that allows for this open discussion including for such tough topics. 

Well, we read about wills in books and have seen movies around this topic. Have heard of many conflicts arising out of not having a will, and perhaps even witnessed first hand how difficult it can get when someone is no more and the family is coping with the emotional loss plus trying to manage the assets too. So, let’s prepare better for the most important aspect of this journey of life. The final destination. And make it easier on ourselves and everybody around us.

Write your comments, share your feedback, I would love to hear from you. And for some more Maverick tips, do subscribe to the Ordinary Maverick podcast. 

This is Ajey, signing off and wishing you have an amazing day. Keep well.