Have you ever thought about what legacy you are leaving behind you? When I think of legacy my natural instinct is to think of big businesses and powerful movements that change the world, nothing that I would associate with myself. However, I am beginning to think of legacy in broader terms. I have come to realise that every person’s legacy will be unique to them, and it can be both positive and negative.
It is the long lasting affect we have on the world, which out lives us. It has to therefore be about other people, we cannot create a legacy if we only focus on ourselves, this is how people die regretting the impact they could have had in the world. We have an innate feeling that we want to be remembered, that if people remember us after we die then our lives will have had meaning.
I think this innate feeling is slightly skewed. The way to find meaning is to find purpose, and the best way to find purpose is to help others realise their dreams, even if this is just being supportive or being available to listen when people need us to. Often it means being a good friend or colleague. It is less about being remembered and more about the affect you have on the lives of those around you.
I hope my legacy will be the positive change I make in other people’s lives and the positive change they will make in other people’s lives, and so on and so on.
The Fullfilment Project 