Leaving A Mark In The World - Your Legacy
I once attended a seminar some years back and when one of the speakers came up, his first statement was "how will you be remembered and what will you be remembered for?" These words struck me with thoughts and I realized that, in the world, what matters is not necessary what you have but what you have done with them. What contributions are you making in people, in the society and the world at large? If there is nothing to point out to what you have done when you were around, then you did not maximise your stay. It is the impact that you make on people that will imprint your memory in their hearts.
One of the things that you need to understand is that you cannot force someone to remember you for good. In fact, a "blessed memory" is not a gift but what you earn by reason of how you have lived and the impact you have made in the world - which is your legacy. You do not have to have everything in the world before people feel your impact, even from what you have and from where you are, you can create an impact. If you cannot help someone with what you have now, you may still not be able to do so when you have more. It is what you do that determines how people will remember you. Helping people, for example, is not a function of the size of your pocket but the largeness of your heart.
It is worthy to note that legacy is not all about acquisition or wealth, but it is about the value, the changes, the inspiration, and the motivation that you bring to the world. There are things that should bring you passion, when you align with it, it will lead you to creating a meaningful legacy. In the dark night, the only thing that will make sense and will make people to see their way to avoid stumbling is the introduction of light. In the same way, in the world that is full of all manner of challenges, the act of goodness that you do will be what will be remembered and will also create an impact even when you are long gone.
There are times that your help has to be practical for it to make sense. When you see someone who is thirsty for example, there is no amount of motivation you give to them that can substitute the need to drink water. In fact, the more you motivate and inspire them, the thirstier they become. What will solve the problem is for water to be offered to them. In life, it is the relevance of your acts of help and kindness, and the value which you place on it that will make the most meaning. Adorably, it may not even be something big, but even the little things of life, when they are relevant and timely, can add so much value in the life of the recipient.
A very major part of building a good legacy also revolves around your relationship with people. The people you interact with on a daily basis - like your friends, colleagues at work, family, even strangers, are all part of what defines your attitude. How you respond to them and your interactions can make them feel good or bad. You will agree with me that there are some people that you will meet and interact with, and you will feel good on the spot. On the other hand, there are some others that you will interact with and they will spoil your mood and make you to feel bad. When people meet you, do you make them to feel good or bad for meeting you? All these are part of what create the legacy that you leave behind.
You need to take out some time once in a while to have a reflection about your life and ask yourself certain questions. If there is nothing that people can look back and point out that you have done - like helping someone even with skills, giving to them, etc, then you need to realign your steps and do something worthwhile. Always remember that it is not always the number of years that you spent in a place that will culminate in legacy but the number of lives that you have touched and affected positively. Do good today that you will be remembered for tomorrow.
Thanks for reading
