Thought much about your legacy?
If you’ve been following my journey, you know that I’m working on a book, called Born – Love – Die. I’m a little over halfway through, and am committed to having it published by July. The book is mostly about the year of ALS, and what I experienced in caregiving for my beloved wife, Kim. She taught me so many, many things during that year. One major thing that she taught me, through her example and through her words, was how to leave a legacy that you are proud of. She certainly left an amazing legacy.
When I coach people, I often ask them to write an obituary on themselves, as if they died today. You should try this. It is hard, but it's the good kind of hard. It makes you think about what will be said about you after you die. Do you like the obituary that you wrote? Are you satisfied with the meaning by which you have lived your life? Imagine you are hovering over your own funeral, listening to the words of those who are speaking about you at the reception afterward. Do you like what you are hearing? Most people don’t remember the career-related, money-making things about a person who has passed. They are more likely to remember the person’s smile, caring nature, how they listened, how they lived their lives, or how they showed up in the world.
If you don’t like the obituary that you have written for yourself, then you have time to make a change. You don’t know how much time, but time, nonetheless. Get about it! Start living your life, right now, in a way that will lead to the ability to leave a legacy for which you are proud.
Some people think about legacy as the inheritance ... the gifts and the tangible things a person passes on after they die. While these things are important, I believe that a more important legacy is the impact you have on the people who are touched by you while you are alive. By the example that you set. By the light that you give to the world when you are here.
Live your life fully. Start now! Know your values, your priorities, and commit to growth in each area. Grow until you die. Make a positive difference in the lives of other people that you touch. Be optimistic, be energetic, be curious, be generous, be loving. These are the attributes of those who leave a great and lasting legacy.
We are each blessed beyond measure, and I believe the best is yet to come!
Cheers!
-Brett