Five ways
to build resilience for more effective estate planning
Drawing up your Last Will and Testament is not just an administrative exercise , it is an emotional one too . That is why cultivating resilience to better handle whatever the process of estate planning brings is advisable . Here are some science-backed strategies …
Leaving a legacy . Taking care of those left behind . Planning for what happens after your death is seldom an enticing prospect . Yet if you are equipped to move effectively through the tough feelings and conversations such planning brings , you will be better able to provide for those most important to you . Consider these five strategies – put forward by Greater Good Magazine – to build resilience when drafting your will :
1 . Change the narrative
Delving into your post-death wishes means facing your mortality , seldom an appealing prospect . Yet , building resilience comes with reframing the way you look at the things that you perceive to be negative . Why not look at drafting your Will as a chance to take responsibility for your life and seize control of what happens to your estate once you are gone ?
Use this process as an opportunity to confront old hurts and fears .
With the self-knowledge this brings , create a document that really reflects the legacy you wish to leave behind and which heirs you would like to benefit . At PPS , we tell our members that a Will allows you to determine who will benefit from the asset base you have worked a lifetime to create and in what proportion . It is not something to be undertaken in a fog of negativity .
Scientists suggest using expressive writing as a way to gain new perspectives into the challenges we face . Simply write , without censoring yourself , for 20 minutes , exploring your feelings around the battles you are facing . Consider three positive aspects of these struggles , for example how completing your Will can help you resolve long-held stresses or conflicts and attain a sense of peace . Looking at the silver lining when facing challenges is not just a one-off exercise , it is an attitude you need to cultivate daily .
38