Cover of Wisdom Meets Passion Book
The parent-child relationship is an intricate one. Children come into the world as a clean slate. Their experiences begin to color the canvas of their life. Our contribution can add richness and texture to the canvas, and a work of art emerges. That contribution is made up of our total life experience to this point. Some might call it wisdom.
Wisdom Meets Passion is a brand-new book by Dan Miller of 48 Days. I’ve had the honor of appearing as a guest blogger on Dan’s site. His two books, 48 Days To The Work You Love and No More Dreaded Mondays are, in my opinion, some of the best advice that you’ll find on career and calling. This new book is a little different from his previous works in that Dan’s second child Jared co-authors the book. From it, the reader gets the gift of a parent-child relationship done right.
The premise here at Affluent Student is that intentional parenting enriches a child’s life. But there’s “good intentional” and “bad intentional.” For example, when someone knows the right thing to do but chooses otherwise, that’s “bad intentional.” But, we never get to “good intentional” unless we have knowledge. Application of knowledge is what creates the intentionality. It removes the element of chance, surprise, and ignorance from the equation.
Passion is best defined as unbridled desire. There are enough romance novels that depict passion, but that’s not what we’re talking about today. Dan and Jared talk about the passion to make a difference, to do something that matters. It’s a phenomenon that drives the Millenial or Generation Y crowd. Simply put, today’s youth want to change the world today. They don’t have the strong desire to climb the corporate ladder and put in their time in cube farms. They find a cause and are ready to pursue it with reckless abandon.
And that’s when they experience the chance, surprise and ignorance mentioned above. How many dreams are snuffed out due to mistakes and missteps? How many of those could have been prevented with a little bit of wisdom?
Or, what if your son or daughter’s passion doesn’t align with their strengths? Being passionate about something and being able to pull it off are two different things. Instead of encouraging our child that they can do anything they want, wouldn’t we serve them better by developing and exploring their strengths? A parent’s wisdom, and careful observation of their child, can help guide and develop that child’s passions in such a way that maximizes the child’s potential for success.
I believe that it’s a parent’s duty to impart knowledge to their children. But that’s not enough. Simply sharing information almost never works. It’s common to read or hear something and not remember it the next day. Adding application, life lessons, experience, and reasons why leads to knowledge that sticks. Why? Because of understanding, which is the link between knowledge and wisdom.
Wisdom is what parents possess. Children and young adults simply don’t have the life experience to possess wisdom. The appropriate sharing of wisdom to a child can bring about laser-like focus to their passion. And that focus is what gives the laser its power. Imagine your child’s passion being fueled by your wisdom. Almost every adult utters the words “If only I’d known then what I know now.” Don’t leave your child with the same feeling. Share your wisdom with them.
One of the endorsements for Wisdom Meets Passion is from Rabbi Daniel Lapin. I love the equation he includes:
All You’ve Learned from Your Past + Your Dreams, Passions, and Plans for Your Future = How You Can Succeed Today.”
This simple equation is why Wisdom Meets Passion needs to be in your parenting toolbox. As you read it, you might find that it rocks your own world too.
For a short time you can support this project by going to http://igg.me/p/191428?a=1151214 where there are special one-time offer packages available.
Application Question – Are you imparting knowledge or sharing wisdom? Does your child’s passion align with their gifting?
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