“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” Shannon Alder.
Perhaps you’re doing well financially. You’re in a good place. But there’s something missing. You know there’s a gap in your life.
Or maybe you’ve said something similar to this: “I set goals but never get to achieve them.” “I don’t bother to set goals because, well, you know…” “The goals I set don’t do anything for me.”
Either way, I get it. You’re way ahead of most people because you know the benefits of having goals. You know how they can bring meaning into your life.
But do you have the one thing that lights a fire in your belly? A spark, something that jump starts your day. A legacy. Something you will be remembered for?
A legacy doesn’t have to be a massive inheritance or huge property portfolio. It’s something important to you, that you’d want to leave behind for your family or community or the world.
A legacy can be scholarships, art, a sustainable business, a charity, a book created from the blood, sweat and tears of your experience.
It’s your choice.
Something YOU wished you’d had growing up or an ideal you’d like to live by, help others do the same.
Emem Uko says:
“It’s the journey that matters, soak it in. Learn lessons out of it. Impact positively so that if you never get to your destination, at least you’d leave a legacy to be remembered.”
The legacy you leave behind can be the story of your efforts to make the world a better place. Your actions might spur others to continue your work, long after you’ve gone.
It could be the personal standards you set for yourself and your team. It could be the way you decide to live your life.
“No legacy is so rich as honesty.” William Shakespeare, All’s Well That Ends Well
People talk about what they’d like folks to say at their funeral. I prefer to think about what people will say about you YEARS later.
The memory of some long dead men, leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Perhaps worse are the forgotten.
Millions of lives gone, many had an impact but no one remembers, no one’s carrying on in their footsteps.
You don’t want to be in either category, do you?
It all starts with you taking time to think about future you. What do you want to be known for?
What legacy do you want to leave behind? How do you want to be remembered?
Once you know, you’ll know. And setting goals will no longer be a problem because you’ll have something worth aiming for… The memory of you.
The photo is Kalpana Chawla (17 March 1962–1 Feb 2003) “…she continues to inspire girls and women the world over that accomplishing your dreams isn’t something unattainable.”
