People you know have left their imprint on you. That’s part of their legacy and your inheritance. You’re doing the same to others whether you recognize it or not – ask any parent!
In truth, we cannot not influence other people – for good or ill. Each one of us is leaving a legacy and we do it every day of our life.
Our legacy is our influence and our actions. So on any given day you might ask yourself what kind of influence – and therefore effect – did you have today? Just because your name isn’t Warren Buffet doesn’t mean you won’t leave a legacy.
Suppose you could be making more of what really matters to you happen right now, would you be interested? Then you’re interested in influencing how things develop from hereon in. And that means you’re really in the business of leaving a legacy – only you don’t have to wait til you’re dead.
Most legacies are invisible. They’re not up there in lights. But they’re still there. Like the air we breathe they can vary from toxic to divine. Want an example? How long do you think it takes to teach a child to become a racist? How much personal wealth does this take – none at all!
So the question arises, what do you want your legacy to be not just today but over the many days of your life – and if you like, even beyond? This is not a question for the future. It matters right now and here’s why.
When you know what you want your legacy to be – or to put it another way what kind of influence you want to have – it can help to guide your life choices starting today. Getting clear about what kind of impact you want to have focuses attention on what you need to do NOW to achieve this.
In my own case I’ve found getting clear about this both inspiring and materially rewarding. It’s resulted in me creating a number of businesses based on the fundamental premise that you can find what is meaningful to you and make it work financially for you and others.
Exploring what kind of world we want to be creating takes us into looking at what really matters to us. It can also raise questions like “is what I’m doing in keeping with what really matters to me?”
When you align what really matters to you with what you’re doing, something amazing happens. You feel more alive, you have more energy and life has new meaning. In this way getting clear about the legacy you want to be creating can be a tool for your own transformation right now.
