Take a look at the life you are living. Are you working toward something that will ripple across future generations in a positive wave?
If the answer is “no,” you haven’t been working on anything like this, then let me get you started thinking about it like this:
How do you want to be remembered?
Do you want to be remembered as someone who put constant positive ripples out into the world? This could be in completely subtle, but important ways, like being a great mom or a teacher. You can change people’s lives, one at a time. Your legacy could be that you will always be remembered for teaching a child how to love, or how to dream big. Maybe you gave the gift of life-long learning to thousands of children across your life. Do you do charitable work for a non-profit, or work as a leader within a non-profit, or a religious organization – impacting those who need the most help across your community — or even globally?
Maybe you found a niche at work, teaching leadership, productivity, leading diversity changes, or developing women.
I have heard from a few of you who are writing a book in your area of expertise. Developing any product like a book, blog, course, podcast, or similar product that shares knowledge so others can learn and grow is a very clear example of developing something that could live on long after you are gone.
I talked to a very good friend of mine a few days ago, he is a friend I have worked with for nearly 10 years. He shared his life’s vision statement with me, and one of the key tenants for him in that was that he wanted to enable people around him to become leaders, and those leaders that he mentored would become his legacy. He would live on through them.
Even if you feel like your life has been full of nothing but challenges and struggles to this point, allow me to give you one more challenge: What have you learned and in what ways have you grown from the hardships you have gone through or the mistakes you have made to this point? What do you know now that you wish you had known sooner? Do you see a clear path for others, one you wish someone had showed you earlier? If this is the case, this is an example of work you can do to help others. This would be an example of a legacy you could choose to leave behind.
I read a story in the newspaper, a few months ago, about a man who had gone to prison for many years. When he got out, it was hard to find a job. Finally – he did find a job as a personal trainer in a gym. CrossFit had been one of the things that he learned in prison, which taught him that he was capable of anything he set his mind on. Eventually he opened his own cross-fit studio and now finds joy helping others grow strong and healthy so they can live and spend more time with their grandkids. When he was sitting in prison, he may have wondered what people would say about him, or if they would even care, when his time on this earth was finished. After reading that article and watching a video about him, he has certainly changed his life and now is giving back in so many ways. He is building a legacy.
This is the kind of thing that I am talking about when I talk about a legacy, when I talk about something worth leaving behind. I tell you this story, because no matter what has happened to you, no matter the decisions you made that went wrong, and no matter how bad or mediocre your life may seem…
It is never too late to decide to become who you always wanted to be.
You can decide today that there is something you have been wanting to do, an impact you want to have, a topic you care about SO much, and then you can do something about it. One day, I just decided I wanted to do more to help women grow in their careers and to have overall better lives. So, I started a blog, which morphed into so much more, a career and life coaching practice, a podcast, and a body of work that continues to grow, which could live on long after I am gone. My passion and mission continue to grow and my ideas to help you continue to flow, and trust me — there is much more to come. I feel absolutely compelled to do this work. Some days it the words seem to come from somewhere else, like I am just the vessel – pouring it out into the world. But, don’t look at where I am today and how far I have come in the name of my passion – think about something YOU really care about and choose a focus that aligns with who you are.
I released a useful podcast that will help you write a personal mission statement, aligned to your values, CLICK TO LISTEN HERE. As part of that episode, I created a worksheet that you can download to clarify your own personal values. Download it here if you want to move toward your most authentic future. Go back and listen to that episode and then do the worksheet, you will be surprised at how much clarity you will get around who you want to be and how you want to be living your life.
In order to go out into the world and create a positive impact, you do have to believe that you can and will create the impact that you want to have. There is something that you feel in your soul, something that your special mix of talents brings, that is different and special from everyone else. When you identify this, you will see that this is your value. This is what you have to give, this is the key to your legacy.
EXERCISE:
I want you to just think about who you want to be at the end of your life. Meditate, write or journal, doodle, mind map, or whatever you need to do to get yourself thinking about what is possible and even ideal for you. Think about the best future version of the future you.
If you truly want to leave a legacy which will live on and on after you are gone, your mission must be to bring others with you along the way. In other words, what are you doing to help others rise in some way? If all the efforts you are working are for fully selfish purposes, then it will show and you may not be remembered in the way you are hoping. You will not leave a legacy that creates positive ripples for generations. The only way to truly create a positive impact like this is to do everything you do with a good heart, a genuinely good mission, and through collaboration and generosity for those you are trying to help.
As you start to really dream of YOUR life, the best version of your life – what is the impact you want to have on the world? What if we all focused on that eventuality as we live our lives. What if we spent more time thinking about what we could make better rather than on everything that seems so wrong? Just imagine what a wonderful world that would be. All it takes is each one of us deciding, today, that we are going to do our part.
Are you ready to do something worth leaving behind?
SHOW NOTES:
What if we spent more time thinking about what we could make better rather than on everything that seems so wrong in the world? Imagine what a wonderful world that would be. All it takes is each one of us deciding that starting today, we will do our part. Are you ready to do something worth leaving behind? This episode will help you figure out what your life’s legacy is and how you can get to work creating it!
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