“Will” Has Been A Four-Letter Word Hanging Over Me For The Past Three Years.
I had one when I was married, and all moving parts related to life after death seemed to be in place. And when that marriage ended, I knew all those moving pieces would need to be changed too, and for some reason, I just couldn’t get myself into the headspace of going to get it done.
Honestly, who really wants to think about the reality of our own passing? Who wants to think about our children being raised by anyone other than ourselves, and what that would feel like? It’s emotionally overwhelming, can feel painful to even entertain it as an idea, and is so much easier to keep it on the “oh yeahhhhh I should probably do that” part of our to-do list.
And then I got a breast cancer diagnosis. Cue the sound of a record scratching.
Those Eight Little Words, “You Have Breast Cancer, Leisse – And It’s Aggressive”
jettisoned an already pretty responsible adult to a “Holy $#*! This is happening and I had better get real” adult. Suddenly it became all too clear to me that at some point, this ends.
I am confident – beyond confident really – that this ends in many, many decades from now, but that record scratching reality that this beautiful and precious life does indeed have an endpoint was a pretty stark gravity pull in perspective.
Those eight little words put a whole new realm of adulting on my radar, and suddenly I became interested in (and even enthusiastic) about life and health insurance, present moment living and appreciation, and knowing my financial house is in order.
Because It’s The Right Thing To Do.
I had a life (and potentially death) changing experience recently when I discovered Willful. Like most of my favourite discoveries, I found them on Instagram, and was immediately drawn to the option of completing my will from the comfort of my living room.
A little while, some research, one latte, and my favourite pair of track pants later, I felt comfortable that this was legit, and that these Willful folks were the real deal: an online will platform with my best interests in mind. I took a deep breath, and told myself that yes I was ready to do this, and I got started filling out the necessary information.
To My Surprise And Delight, 20 Minutes Later My Will – The Dreaded Four Letter Word That Had Been Hanging Over Me – Was Complete.
I couldn’t believe it. Here I was, still at home, still feeling safe and comfortable and without the need to schedule an appointment or wait in an ill-lit waiting room to talk to another lawyer, with one more feather in my adulting cap. And yes, those sweatpants were definitely still in the picture.
Did it take some deep thinking about the details in the process? Yes; end of life decisions – and especially those involving your health and children – are not to be taken lightly. But thinking about that in the back of your mind as an “answer right now and what’s the first thing that comes up” is generally your best answer; your intuition will always help you hear the truth.
I am so excited to share this experience and service with you because even if it feels scary to think about, it’s something we all must think about. And even with that deep thinking involved, this process was still completely manageable.
What I found so comforting about the Willful experience was how easy, affordable, and oh my gosh practical it was; it made me feel even more empowered knowing that I was doing yet another one of those hard things with grace, breeding even more confidence in myself, and in living a responsible and intentional life.
In This Life You Can Be Certain Of Death, Taxes, And Chinese Food.
When you shed the fear or the kicking and screaming reluctance to do the things that scare you, you come to a place of peace and acceptance, and usually find that the things you thought would be hard, weren’t all that bad. Take 20 minutes of your gorgeous life and get started today.
I promise you can do this, and will feel even better when it’s done.
It’s important to plan financially for a divorce to determine the financial impact to you and your spouse, minimize stress, and secure your financial future. If you or a loved one are preparing for divorce, read our article about divorce financial planning here.
