Thursday, May 29, 2008

Passing The Baton

Several years ago, my nephew began to regularly beat me in video games, even when I had the higher ranked character. This week I lost another "advantage" over my nephew, who is now 15 years old. I can no longer defeat him in one-on-one basketball. His skill, quickness and strength now exceed mine by a noticeable margin. In sports, I am now a peer, and no longer the uncle he strives to beat. It won't be long before he graduates from high school, attends college, gets a job. I can't believe how fast time has passed. In eight years, he will be in the workforce, replacing those of us that have retired.

In the past, I sometimes regretted seeing those younger than me surpass my skills and accomplishments, because it meant I was "beaten ." However, since retiring in my forties in 2007, I take a more philosophical view on the process. I now realize that progress requires that people keep getting better than those before them. Thus, I look forward to passing the baton and having those younger than me, especially my daughter, do much better than I did. After all, a good baton pass means it will be a better world.

For more on Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

This is not financial or family advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2008 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for participating in this week’s Carnival of Family Life hosted at Live from Waterloo on Monday, June 2, 2008! Be sure to check out the other excellent entries this week!