Did you know that your grandmother carried part of you inside her womb? A female fetus is born with all the eggs she will ever have in her lifetime. So when your Grandmother was carrying your Mother in her womb, you were a tiny egg in your Mother's ovaries. The three of you have been connected for a very long time. How crazy is that? When I heard that in my small group last week I was blown away.

Above all else, it is my belief that the highest calling we have is to make a positive impact on our family that will last generations. Our inclination is to be near-sided when thinking about the impact we make. We don’t think about the universal influence one generation has on another. Family traits are often passed down from parents to children, and this cycle has been repeated for thousands of years. This might be a controversial statement for some reading this because you have no control over the family you are born into. I know how lucky I am to have amazing parents and grandparents but some of us come from family backgrounds of defeatism, divorce, pessimism, selfishness, greed, anger, addictions, and laziness. These negative traits are just as easily passed on to our children as positive traits. One's dysfunctional personal behavior becomes a model or example to the next generation, and the cycle can be repeated over and over again if we are not careful.

That is why it is more important now than ever to realize the role we can play in not only our children’s lives, but our grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s lives. You don’t have to have children to play a role in this either. Uncles aunts, etc. have just as important of a role.

So how do we set a foundation for generational success?

Be humble and self-aware

We are all human and make mistakes. You don’t have to be perfect. What you can control is your self-awareness. If you are self-aware of the weaknesses you have, mistakes you have made, and the issues you deal with, you can then mitigate projecting those on the younger generation. I have learned to take that a step further and be open and honest about all of these things with my children. I think they learn even more knowing that I am aware that I am not perfect, but am actively working on myself every day. Parents are their kids’ first teachers — and your relationship is the classroom. Your attitudes, emotions, and behaviors all impact how your child will learn and develop.

Find a balance

I am not a generational expert, but I do know I want my kids to grow and develop into who they want and are meant to be. There is a balance between being too strict and restrictive and not having enough structure. For me, it starts with showing unconditional love and compassion. What people get mixed up though is when you think of compassion, you rarely think of accountability in the same realm. I believe that the highest form of compassion is accountability. It is never easy or perfect, but my goal is to get to a point where my kids know that when I hold them accountable it is because I love them so much that I am teaching them a lesson that will serve them later in life.

Instill values and explain why they are important

Values are only words without context. The values I want my children to have are simple but impactful in my opinion.

Remember that God loves you.
Be thankful.
Live in the moment.
Be kind.
Work hard.
Be brave.
Think for yourself.
Be responsible for your own happiness.

None of these values mean anything without context behind them. So I make it my mission to provide that context not only in my words but more importantly, in my actions.

Don’t be near-sided. Our impact will not be measured by what we did while we are here. It will be measured by lessons and values instilled in our children, grandchildren, and the impact the many generations that follow make on this earth.