On June 4th, 2019 everything changed. My daughter Elyse Rae Okugawa was born into this world. For now, she has three main functions: sleep, eat, and poop. But that won’t last forever. It’s weird knowing one day she will be a grown adult making her own decisions.

There will be hundreds of things her mom and I teach her throughout her lifetime. From a financial perspective, here is what I want her to know.

You are incredibly blessed, just as your mother and I have been blessed. Our family continues to grow and each generation is in a better financial position than the last. Your great-grandma grew up with close to nothing, having to wear shoes that were too small, crushing her feet. Never take for granted what you have.

Your mother and I will support you but not spoil you. Growing up, your grandpa (my dad) used to coach my sports. There were plenty of times I didn’t want to practice or work on getting better. He cared and pushed me to succeed, but when I didn’t put in the effort he would always say, “I can’t want it more than you do.” Your mother and I will give you everything you need to succeed, but it’s up to you to work hard. We can’t want it more than you do.

Life is full of opportunity costs. Spending more time at work means less time with your family. Spending less time on your career can turn into fewer opportunities, promotions or higher wages. Ultimately, you will decide what is important in your life. For your mom and I, making sure we have quality family time is a priority. If you’re creative, there are always ways to make more money. But there’s no way to get more time.

Avoid being materialistic when others flaunt their wealth. You will always find success by living below your means and spending less than you earn. True wealth is created through discipline and consistency over time.

Be generous with your time, abilities and wealth. Generosity is medicine for the disease of money becoming an idol in your life. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:21

Having a support system and trusted counsel can get you through hard times. When you were born, things weren’t smooth sailing. I’ll never forget seeing you for the first time and the joy your mother and I had, only to watch you be snatched away by nurses. The next few hours, while you were in the NICU, was the hardest thing your mom and I had to go through. Your left lung was filled with fluid and took several hours to clear out so you could clearly breathe. After 72 hours you were finally ready to go home with us. Having family at the hospital for support and advice kept your mom and I sane.

Your mom and I love you so much. We are going to miss when you can no longer fit in our arms. Maybe one day I’ll miss the sleepless nights and dirty diapers.

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