Preserving Your Legacy
Photograph courtesy of Roman Kraft
We all leave a Legacy when we move on from this world whether we intend to or not. A wise person one told me, “I intend to leave a Legacy that reflects who I am and what I have done with my life. I want people to notice how I lived, that I was a good person who did good deeds… to be remembered.”
Our legacy is often revealed by those closest to us - family, friends, confidants, landlords, the person you laughed uncontrollably with, your colleague who had the best night of their life with you, or the person who you were undeniably lost with while in a foreign country using only a tourist map from a placemat with no knowledge of the language. Maybe it’s the person you cried with during a moment of profound loss or change, altering both your lives forever.
“Legacy” is a big word, leaving a significant impression on those around us when shared, and varies depending on the person creating or leaving it.
Have you ever been so fully absorbed by a story that you wished would never end? That’s the kind of captivating power that most people want their Legacy to have - an enduring impact that resonates because it’s shared.
In order to give your Legacy this power you need to reveal it to the world in a way that is unique to you. That is what a Legacy Project is. You might be thinking, “Crap I don’t think I have material for that!” But of course, you do!
When we share with others and reveal who we truly are and the little things that meant the most to us, like remembering the time a child smiled at you and gave you a dandelion, we create a legacy project with profound meaning. It opens windows to our past for others to see cherished moments we might have otherwise kept to ourselves.
I’ll never forget attending the funeral for a friend’s brother, where the brother gave a eulogy filled with things he never knew about him. He learned that his brother’s work family adored him in ways his own family never did. Spending time with all of these incredible people at the wake gave him a newfound appreciation for his brother.
How about the time your older sibling shared surprising stories with you about your mother, unknown to you because you were so young and your perspectives so different.
What about the quiet sibling you never knew used to sneak into the college gym to play basketball? After he died, your future brother-in-law revealed that he would always pick your sibling for his team because he was such a phenomenal player, despite being undersized.
Who knew????? Who will ever know? Who will write your story or help you capture it so others can see it, tell it, value it, and remember you for it?
We all have such a short amount of time on this earth, and we hope people will remember us for who we were inside and out, for Pete’s sake – just remember us!
We want to be remembered, to be significant even if it’s just in one small way. But how can we get to know who you are on the inside, if you never let it shine?
This, my friends, is a Legacy Project. Let me introduce you to the idea!!
Such is Life
