I like to read about successful people. They inspire me to no end.

This afternoon, I googled Steve Jobs and was awed by the unbelievable accomplishment he’s made. Apple closed today at $227 billion in market capitalization versus Microsoft at $220 billion! Since Job’s reclaimed the helm at Apple in a boardroom coup in July of 1997, he has grown the company by 6,690 %!

Proof positive that the potential of human capital is without limits.

There is no secret then to my frustration in the seeming inability of the insurance industry and the consuming public to recognize the value of every human being. I have a strong conviction that each one of us is created to live, to love, to learn and to leave a legacy. We each have a unique ability to leave a positive mark on this world and everytime one person gets seriously ill, is incapacited by an accident or dies, there is a tragic loss of value. What does not stop though are the bills, the unmet goals and the interruption of a potential lasting legacy.

Because we cannot grasp the enormity of the human capital equation, we instead concern ourselves with questions like “How much is $1,000,000 of 10 year or 20 year term insurance going to cost me?”

Instead, let’s begin by working it backwards by asking:

• “Who will cry when I die?”
• “What do I want them to say when I finally leave this existence?”
• “What will be the lasting mark I leave on my family and on this world?”

Getting more specific, let’s then ask:

• “How much am I going to earn in my remaining years?”
• “What will my family require of my earnings?”
• “What will it cost to provide the best education for my children?”
• “What will  it cost to provide my children with a healthy start when they go out on their own?”
• “What will my lasting legacies cost in today’s dollars?”
• “How will my business partners afford to buy out the business from my surviving family?”

It get’s complicated, doesn’t it?

Maybe it’s time to start getting answers to these questions and treat the issue more seriously than our next vacation plan. Food for thought.