Using Family Culture to Defeat the Tendency to Be on Autopilot

I’m nearly finished reading Die With Zero, and the main takeaway for me is how the book has created this sense of urgency in me to not live my life on autopilot. I feel motivated to be thoughtful about the way I approach life – not only my life, but also the collective life of my family. Ultimately, as parents, we are leaders of our family, and we are responsible for teaching our children ways to think and operate, too. Author Bill Perkins approaches this concept of “die with zero” very much from the perspective of an engineer, seeking to solve a problem. He provides his readers with tactics to use to ensure we are prioritizing certain things. And while I certainly appreciate his tactical approach, his overarching theme has moreover inspired me to thoughtfully consider the culture of the Williamson household.

As a reminder, culture is merely your set of values playing out. If you live by certain core values, they become the culture of your organization. This book has really pushed me to pause and think about the values we have as a family. Are we really being intentional about living out those values? Are we being intentional as parents to ensure those values are solidified through experiences we are intentionally putting together for our children and for each other as a married couple?

I do have a sense of urgency now to be more intentional about creating these experiences in our lives that solidify our family values. I don’t want to be the average family that may derive their family values based on what they have done in the past or how they are currently operating. The values we want to embody must be established first – and the way we operate must be reflective of those values.

I encourage you to think about your life and this concept of “die with zero.” Simply put – don’t live your life on autopilot. Consider the family culture that you want to establish as a leader of your family and understand that culture is driven by the values you prioritize in your life. Make sure you have true clarity about those values. Share them with your spouse to ensure everyone has buy-in. And then, intentionally create experiences that drive home those values. Find pride in your efforts of intentionality – you can bet your family values will be solidified through experiences and memories your kids will carry on into their future families, even when you are no longer here on this Earth to lead them.

Written by Schuyler Williamson

REALTOR. Leader. Veteran. Business Owner. Investor.

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God Bless!

~ Schuyler Williamson