This is the second article in our series about The Wiser Way – a methodology to manage all of the “What ifs” that go along with aging.
A Fable: The Connecting Bee
In a vast meadow, there was a busy bee who loved to fly around and visit other bees. The bee made connections with many other bees in the meadow and beyond. As the bee got older, it realized that it needed to build a small circle of trusted friends and family who could help when it needed assistance.
The bee carefully chose a few close friends and family members who it trusted completely. It shared its experiences, thoughts, and feelings with them, and in turn, they shared theirs with the bee.
One day, the bee had a close call with a predator and was badly injured. But the bee’s trusted circle was there to help. They rallied around the bee, providing food, medicine, and comfort.
The bee was grateful for its trusted circle. It knew that it had spent its life building strong relationships with a few close friends and family for a reason – they were there for the bee in its time of need.
Moral of the story: Building a trusted circle of close friends and family can provide you with the support you need in times of trouble. By choosing wisely and sharing your experiences and feelings, you can build deep and meaningful relationships with those who will be there for you when you need them most.
Connection – What Does It Mean?
When it comes to managing all of the “what ifs” that come along with getting older, you can’t protect yourself or your loved ones if you aren’t set up as a team.
This is why connection lies at the core of The Wiser Way.
It’s probably why you’ve heard us talk quite often about the concept of a Trusted Circle here at WayWiser. It’s the very foundation for our product.
The idea behind the Trusted Circle stems from this second principle, from the need to connect, not only with the right people, but in the right way—or, dare we say, in The Wiser Way?
But it’s true. Maintaining relationships with our kids as they become adults, enjoying the occasional family meal on a Sunday evening, or simply sending a few text messages to Mom each week are all great ways of connecting, but this isn’t exactly what we mean when we talk about connection in the spirit of practicing The Wiser Way.
Connecting in the appropriate way to manage all of life’s “what ifs” means taking things a step further. It means moving from occasional phone calls to being sure you’re connected in a more formalized way, like a sports team or even a small business. It means putting a bit of structure behind the connection and being sure the appropriate tools are being used to get things done when they need to be done.
Connecting in The Wiser Way is more than occasional phone calls or holiday visits. It’s about saying to your family “Hey, I’m getting older and I love you all. I want to be sure we’re all set up for success. I want to be sure that if and when the time comes that I need help—or you need help—we’re using the right technologies and have the right information at our fingertips. I want to be sure that we can jump into caregiving mode at the snap of a finger, that we have access to bank accounts, documents, medications, and anything else that is currently handled without your help.”
We suppose you could say that connection, the way that we see it, is about having that first “tough” conversation. It’s about reaching out to those you love and making sure you’re all putting in some time right now to invest in your futures. That, like the Connecting Bee, you’re sharing with one another today, so that you’re prepared for tomorrow.
There are plenty of tools that you can cobble together to manage your connections, its a list long enough that we couldn’t begin to cover it, but we’ve built WayWiser to make it all a bit easier for you and your family to prepare and manage the future all in one place.
Invest Today to Protect Tomorrow
Whatever your personal situation may be, there are always some key individuals who you’ll want to be sure to connect with on your journey and it’s best to invest the time today to bring them onto a platform like WayWiser so that you’re ready when you need it.
Typically you’d want to consider adult children, parents, and other close family members, but it can also include close friends, key professionals (like a financial advisor or lawyer), and depending on your situation, perhaps a paid-caregiver or others who help get things done on a weekly basis.
We’re all for people doing things in the way that works best for them. There are multiple ways to connect, but WayWiser makes it all a bit easier as it incorporates everything that you may need to get things done The Wiser Way.