Mindset
Remember
“No matter what happens in life, be good to people.
Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.”
– Taylor Swift
Does legacy matter?
It’s an interesting question.
Having spoken to hundreds of people on the podcast over the last seven years, and many more throughout my life, I can say there’s no consensus on this question.
For some, the idea of leaving a legacy is the essence of their existence.
For others, it matters not one iota. Or at least the notion that this is their purpose is something never pondered or considered.
But even though it’s not necessarily the focus or the raison d’etre of someone’s life, most of us, either consciously, or subconsciously in the deep recesses of our minds want to make a difference.
We want to matter.
Taylor Swift’s quote to begin this blog is quite poignant. Legacy isn’t always about leaving knowledge, possessions, or a physical imprint. It’s often simply about your effect on others.
Being good to others is a wonderful point of embarkation for legacy. Simply being remembered by others for how you treated them is an impact of great value.
How would you like others to remember you?
You might not care right now, but you’ll most likely care as the days of your life begin to count down. Having witnessed the descent of my mother’s health most recently, I can tell you that you don’t always get to choose how you will go, or what you’ll be able to do in your dying days.
The time to make peace is now, not then. The time to define how you will be remembered is now, even if it doesn’t seem to matter now.
That doesn’t mean you have to have some bold objective, it simply means you carry yourself with a commitment to character and an honest effort to do right by those who you encounter.
You won’t actually know you’ve achieved it. Legacy is an afterthought, not tangible to us in practice, only understandable by those who have been touched.
You are sewing seeds in a garden you’ll never see.
But wouldn’t it be nice to know it’s a garden worth talking about?
Does legacy matter?
I think it does.
