Why envisioning your legacy matters.
Advice to the young, as you age, it is unavoidable to see your mortality as a principle that cannot be violated. With every passing year, the amount of time available seems to disappear, only making the end seem closer. Now this article is not about doom and gloom, it is quite the opposite. As a tool to get us where we actually want to be in life, we can do the work to get in touch with how we want to be remember and what we want to pass on.
The definition of legacy in the Webster’s dictionary is
“Something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past”.
In terms of living a fulfilled life, when we think of what we will leave behind and how we will be remembered, i.e. creating a work of art, a transfer of wisdom through your writings, a philosophy, a program, a business. Something that leaves a lasting impact on people. This is what really matters as we look to the end.
As Steven Covey puts it in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “Habit #2 – Start with the end in mind”. When you are developing your strategy for the legacy you want to leave, start with imagining the end of your days. What do you want that legacy to be? Get this clear, as with other habits you want to develop, get it posted somewhere you can see it daily. Then start doing the work to get you to that legacy, knowing you are mortal and tomorrow is never a promise.
Now if you are doing what has come natural to you, you may be doing something that you have just become good at, but not what will leave the legacy you imagine. Just think about it, are you really meant to grow up fast, learn fast, then die slowly over the next 40-50 years. This is what will happen if you aren’t looking for a way to constantly learn and grow in the direction of your legacy.
My own experience found me doing just that. I had a great childhood, won multiple scholarships for most of my college, landed a decent job after college then started slowly dying. I didn’t know it because it happened so slowly and was clouded by other amazing life events. Now parts of those amazing events, like marriage, fatherhood and family are all part of the legacy I envision, but the important thing missing was what I was going to create outside of who I am, because who I am is a husband, father and family man.
The catalyst for anyone will be one decision. As I’ve written about before, mine started when I decided to go back to graduate school in my earlier 40’s. My intuition told me there was more I could be doing, going back to school was scary, but it was something I knew I would benefit from. It took no time at all for me to see how outdated I had become. This is the slowly dying part. Like food on a shelf, if it is out dated, it gets through by the wayside.
Making this one decision for me awakened a sleeping giant within me that has a thirst for new information, new trends, and constant learning, while taking inspired action.
What this post is meant to convey is that each of us have a very short time on this planet, in the grand scheme of the universe. What really matters is how you will be remembered, if at all.
Legacy, what will yours be? Are you making the changes that will lead to your legacy? Who is your team that will go with you?
Answer these questions daily then keep asking them and keep learning.
Someday, I want to read your story and speak your name.
Getting in touch with your legacy is just another tool to use on your quest for personal freedom.
Do the work to earn your Rudius and leave your legacy.
