For 10 days my family and I recently took a vacation to the Netherlands to visit my wife’s relatives (from a previous post you may recall that she is Dutch). We had some apprehension about flying 8 hours with our three children, ages 7, 4 and 2! Despite our fears, the flights were uneventful. We even got to jump to the front of the security check-point lines because we were traveling with children.
The time we spent in the Netherlands was wonderful. It was great to visit my wife’s Mom, sister, and extended family. Our children (especially the 7 year old) had a fun time pointing out all of the differences between the Netherlands and the United States. One of the differences that he liked the most was the fact that they have traffic lights just for bicycles.
As I prepared for our vacation, I thought of how flying on an airplane often motivates clients to prepare Wills and other estate planning documents. Of course, statistically speaking, you are much more likely to die in a car crash on the way home from work then you are in a plane crash (1 in 5,000 vs. 1 in 11,000,000)! So why does flying motivate people? Researchers in psychology have found that when we have control (like when we’re driving) we’re less afraid, and when we don’t have control (like when we’re flying) we’re more afraid.
Fear can motivate people to act, but it can also keep people from taking action. The estate planning process can seem like an intimidating process. By allowing David and I to walk you through the process, you are actually taking control of your future and the future of your loved ones. When you finish the process and have that control, the relief you feel will be immense. You will no longer have a fear of what happens when I die or become disabled. You will have a plan in place that achieves your goals and gives you true peace of mind.