“You need to burn the template.” my rich sister said, “Answer this question; after you graduated, what was your mindset or goal?”
“To be financially independent,” my brother said.
“Without giving any excuses or reasons, answer this question, are you?” asked my rich sister.
There was a long pause on the phone.
“No.” my brother quietly said, “I am not.”
“Is that still your goal?” pressed my rich sister.
“Yes.” answered my brother.
“Then at this point in your life,” my rich sister said, “You need to accept that the template you’ve been using is not working. You need to burn the template.”
“You’ve done everything that people have told you to do. But it’s not working for you. You are not where you want to be, because the templates you’ve been following are not working for you.”
“Burn down everything. Start new. Now.”
This was hard for my brother to hear. He thought he was doing the right thing. He read self-help books. He bought the business courses. Practiced improving his speech. At one time he even read the dictionary to help expand his vocabulary.
But here he was on the phone. On his annual family birthday call. You can hear his devastation in the silence.
For years, he would light up the room when he came in. He spoke with confidence. Stood tall and believed life would provide for his dreams. He named it to claim it.
Time had passed and debts had grown. Opportunities missed. My brother was no longer the same.
He now was broken. I knew that because he finally opened up to my rich sister for her thoughts.
