Imagine your life ended abruptly right now. What would your legacy be? How would you be remembered? Would the narrative about your life include ‘a life well lived’?
In a survey conducted by Merrill Lynch, respondents were asked what they would want to be remembered for. More than two-thirds of the respondents said “it’s the memories shared with loved ones.” 94% of survey respondents said the definition of a life well lived is “having friends and family that love me.” That was followed by 75% who said it’s about “having made a positive impact on society.”
More than death, legacy is about living and paying life forward. It’s an ongoing high value decision and commitment you make about the kind of life you want to live, and the impact you want to make on your family, friends, community and world. It’s an expression of love and gratitude to God, your family, friends and others who have helped get you to where you are today.
Here’s another way to think about legacy – It’s your gift to others and also a gift to yourself because it enables you to find genuine fulfilment in your life.
Living and leaving a good legacy takes effort and requires wisdom. Legendary coach and author John Wooden said, “There is a choice you have to make in everything you do, so keep in mind that in the end the choice you make makes you.”
So regardless of the stage or circumstances of your journey as a dad today, there are three building blocks you can use to your advantage that will help you shape the legacy you want:
1. Start early.
Like a tapestry, everything you do in life weaves together to create the overall mark you leave on the people who outlive you. Your legacy will have a lasting impact – that’s a fact. And similar to investing in a retirement plan, the earlier you start, the greater your chances of a good return.
This means you don’t start thinking about legacy when you are approaching your seasoned years and have a full head of gray hair. Instead, you start deciding early what you want to pass on to the next generation and how you will be remembered by them.
2. Always be growing.
If you are going to leave a good legacy, you have to be prepared to adopt a growth mindset and invest in yourself. The need to be a lifelong learner and constantly grow is vital because legacy is about what you leave to or in others, and you cannot give what you don’t have.
For each dad, the path to acquire the knowledge and wisdom required to live well may be different, and as long as you are willing to pay the tuition of engagement, the school of life will always be open and life class will always be in session to teach you what you need to grow as a dad.
3. Make everyday count.
A good legacy doesn’t happen overnight. It develops over time. It’s an accumulation of a life well lived. The legacy you leave behind will be shaped by the life you are leading today. In the big and small things and everything in between, your daily actions are deposits into your legacy. And whether you realize it or not, are intentional or not, you are investing in your legacy everyday.
It’s essential that you take a long view of life and live today with tomorrow in mind, because you may forget what you said, or the things you did, or the way you made your children feel, but they will remember as kids, as adults and when you are no longer around.
