A legacy is the only thing you truly leave behind when you leave this world. That’s what a legacy is, what you leave behind. Legacies come in many different forms. There are financial, family, work, or health legacies. Any aspect of your life can have a legacy connected to it. Your legacy isn’t a single thing, it is associated with every part of you. Each individual determines what their legacy will be. Even if you take no thought on it, you will still leave a legacy, it just might not be as valuable as it could have been if you had chosen to design it.
As you go through life, make choices, and shape your future legacy, it is important to be thoughtful and make decisions that will build a legacy you are proud of. If your legacy is going to contribute to the future of society, isn’t it important to leave the best legacy you can? We all have different values, priorities, and desires, choose which areas you want to focus on to create a legacy that will contribute to a better world, possibly for many generations after you are gone. Here are a few areas we can all focus on building a solid legacy.
Financial:
Financial legacies are typically what people think of when it comes to legacies. Specifically, financial legacies are most often thought of as financial gifts left in the form of inheritances. Yes, these are financial legacies but a financial legacy can be some much more than just an inheritance. You don’t have to be fantastically wealthy to build and leave a financial legacy. You also don’t have to wait till you are dead to leave a financial legacy. Every financial decision you make at any point of your life can contribute to building a solid financial legacy that can last generations. If you live below your means and save and invest wisely you will not only end up with sizeable wealth to leave to decedents, you will have set an example of living a life full of wise financial decisions. Your example will be passed down and may be the reason many generations after you know no want and live a life free of financial stress.
Even on a seemingly small income, great wealth can be built and future needs such as children’s post-secondary education or your retirement income can be fully taken care of. Consciously working to build a strong financial legacy can have great rewards throughout your life, and beyond.
Family:
A family legacy is the most important and rewarding that you can leave. If you choose to have children, consciously raising them in a way that will help them become the best people possible is the best thing you can do as a parent. What kind of people do you feel the world needs more of? Figure that out, and work to raise your children to be those kinds of people. It won’t just happen, it takes planning, design, and work. Even if you do all you can, you still don’t have full control of who they will become. They will make their own choices, but the example you set and the principles you teach can have a great effect on helping them become amazing, good people.
What kind of people do you feel the world needs more of?
Even if you choose not to have children, you can still create a family legacy. Support your siblings or cousins in their efforts to raise their children. Find out what they want their legacy to be and help them build it. You can do the same with younger siblings or the children of friends. If there was more deliberate family legacy building, the world would be a better place. Help it happen.
Work:
There are various ways you can leave a legacy of work. You can have a great work ethic on anything you do and can teach others how to develop a similar work ethic. In your career you can mentor others and help them get to a higher standard much faster than it took you to get to that level. If you do this, they can do the same and down the road your company can greatly excel from all of the accelerated progression you sent in motion. If you run your own business, you can set the standard of excellence and ensure that standard is followed and continued, even after you are gone. Work is such an integral part of our life, it can be so valuable to treat it as an avenue for legacy, rather than just something we do.
Health:
People are living longer. Medical science has increased and has greatly contributed to this longevity. These extra years may or may not be as good as they could though if our health is not good. Someone who takes their health seriously can be a great influence on others and can build a strong legacy that influences many. Good health can be contagious. If you work to build a legacy of health, not only will your health be better and your years more fulfilling, but you can also inspire others around you to live a healthy life as well. Your health legacy can have a positive impact on your children, family, coworkers, or friends. Your healthy example can be the legacy you leave. As you consider your legacy, who you are leaving it for, and how best to build it, be mindful of what you value, and how you want to leave the world after you are gone. Be wise. Remember, you don’t have to be in the 1% to improve the world, even after you are gone. The choices you make now will determine your legacy. Your legacy is built every day. Every decision either builds it up or tears it down little by little. Live your life through a legacy lens. View everything you do as an opportunity to build your legacy in every aspect of your life. Build the legacy that will bring you joy, and leave the world a better place.
