A hospital caretaker was once asked what adult children say to their dying parents in their final moments. ¹

How do they say goodbye?

What do they thank them for?

The caretaker saw a pattern.

In families with strained relationships, the gratitude was often tied to something that cost money.

"Thanks for putting me through college. For helping me buy my first car. For helping me purchase my first ______"

But in the closest families

The ones with the strongest bonds

The kids said the same thing…

Every time:

"Thank you for loving and believing in me.”

I interact daily with elite doctors, top-tier sales professionals, hard working teammembers.

People who work long hours and have big goals.

People who say things like, “Pushing it to the max man!”

All of it for the families they want to support.

That drive matters. 

But this week, remember:

You actually don’t want to be thanked for the amount you earned.

You want to be thanked for what you gave while earning it.

^{(1) Story taken from The Art of Spending Money. Morgan Housel. 2025. Penguin Random House Publications.}