In these next few video chapters of Grow: All True Wealth Comes From the Ground, I talk about family life, its diversity, and reveal why it can be a source of tremendous wealth—and show you the keys to unlocking that wealth.
(Length: 14:21 minutes)
My Crazy Family Life
My brother-in-law, Keith, does a mean donkey impersonation. He’s one of the most outgoing, gregarious guys I know.
And he’s completely different from his brother—my husband—Dave.
Dave is the introvert of his family. Quiet. Thoughtful. And definitely no donkey impersonations.
Remind you of any family you know? Where one sibling is the smart one, one is the athletic one, and one is the life of the party?
I’m willing to bet your family life is a lot like ours: a lot of differences … and a little bit nuts. That’s the beauty—and the challenge—of families, whether they’re related by blood, marriage, or choice.
In fact, I believe there’s a divine principle at work that ensures all families are a little crazy.
Definition of Family
There are all kinds of configurations of family. As we’re talking about it in this section, let’s agree that a family is a group of people who are committed to journeying through this life together, whether by blood, marriage, or choice.
The diversity of your family life is a true key to your wealth.
Creating Family By Choice
There are people who are part of your family, but aren’t necessarily related by blood or marriage. These people can also be included in your family.
And if you did choose a family, I hope you chose some crazy characters.
In this video, you’ll also learn:
- What To Talk About When There’s Tension In The Air
- The SINGLE Most Important Reason To Embrace Family Diversity
- What That Recurring Marital Argument Really Means
Did you also see last week’s Grow Book video on Stress Management? Click here to see it now.
Then, will you let me know?
How do you define “family?”
What’s your favorite way to keep your family group strong?
Thanks so much for leaving me a comment below!
COMMENTS(5)
Once again I always enjoy watching and hearing you share with us. Please keep theses coming. Also thanks for the tip on your friend John’s bookstore. I will check it out.
Really enjoyed this video. One of the big problems in my family is several members having mental health issues. That is so hard to deal with without it causing permanent breakdown in family relationships, also addiction issues. It’s hard to have relationships with family who have addictions that impair their ability to get along with others, work, or that they steal from family members to feed that addiction. On the positive side, I am in favor of diversity, makes a family interesting.
From what I’ve seen, a person is considered ‘normal’ until you get to know them. I think it’s the same with families.
Purely from a food standpoint, my immediate family is interesting. My daughter, who is now 37 years old, decided when she was nine to become vegetarian. When she came back from a year at college, she announced that she was vegan, and never went back to eating animal products. I have four siblings, and we all grew up on the standard American diet of the time. Through most of my adult life, I have been for natural, unprocessed foods, tending toward plant-based and organic, as it has become more readily available. One of my sisters is omnivorous, but organic. My other sister is on low carb grocery store fare. One of my brothers has been a pescatarian for a number of years, and his wife has recently started growing a vegetable garden. My other brother will eat anything from the grocery store, but has been home growing vegetables for his grandson. As far as I know, most of their grown children are still eating the standard American diet from the grocery store. My aunt says she is vegetarian, but will sometimes eat chicken. Add to that mix some quirky food preferences and dislikes. When getting together for a family meal, the rule of thumb is that if you want to be sure there is something you will eat, you should bring it yourself.
I won’t even begin to get into the dynamics of personality differences. The ones who get along best together are those who do their own thing and let others likewise be themselves. Diversity makes life more interesting, and there are always things to learn from someone who sees and does things differently.
I just wanted to share about my brother’s garden. He purchased the lot next to his home which was vacant except for a dilapidated old garage. He began with Square Foot Gardening, and subsequently gleaned information from everyone he has come in contact with about plants, pests and natural and organic remedies, soil, cycles, seasons, sustainability, harvesting, drying, and preserving. He lives in a high desert area of the Pacific Northwest in a small town. He has people come over almost every weekend who help him harvest whatever is ripe throughout the season. His garden is diverse. All of these folks are allowed to take home whatever they like for just picking for two hours on a Saturday morning. He then takes a bit for himself, and the rest goes to the regional Food Bank, serving five counties. He now raises from 4-5,000 pounds of produce every year for the food bank (not including what his helpers take home) on an average city lot in the middle of town!