My legacy; roll that idea around in your mind for a few seconds…
What thoughts did you have?
When I find myself in a conversation and ‘legacy’ comes up, or what we leave behind after we’re gone from this life, sometimes people tell me that to them a legacy is something that only famous or wealthy people get to leave when they die – and it’s probably true that as a society sometimes we do fall into the trap of thinking in that way.
After all if we’re just ‘normal’ or ‘average’ what could we possibly be remembered for? An act of largesse sufficient to fund a sports hall, library or other notable building is probably beyond the reach of most people.
But the truth is that absolutely every one of us will leave behind a legacy, a memory of who we were and perhaps what we stood for.
For some it’ll be small but positive, known only to a few and that’s an achievement in itself, for others it might be around negative behaviours, addictions or temperament remembered with sadness.
But there will be some that stick in our minds for all the right reasons.
Those who take an everyday habit and create something that transcends what we think of as the merely ordinary or expected.
An example that comes to mind is of a client who fondly recalled her grandmother crocheting and knitting constantly, whatever else was going on at the time, all conversation with her was punctuated by the reassuring click of knitting needles and the rainbow shades of wool tumbling from the battered tapestry bag, which travelled with her wherever she went.
The interesting thing was that Grandmother had a bigger “why” for her activity which elevated it from the ordinary and created something extraordinary.
Because this wasn’t just aimless knitting to fill time, she was driven by a big ‘WHY’ Why You Need Your Why –she knew this was her unique contribution to the world and so premature babies at the local hospital would sleep more comfortably in their incubators, wearing a wooly hat on their tiny bald heads – kitted with love by Grandma. The local women’s shelter benefitted as did the church, scout group and local Women’s Institute anytime they had a fundraiser. Grandma touched the lives of hundreds if not thousands; the wearers of her sweaters, scarves, hats and gloves – even those like the tiny premature babies who would never even know her or the love she poured into the treasures she knitted.
So when people ask me about leaving something behind, I lean towards not focussing on size, instead focus on value to the recipient.
When I’m having this conversation, a pretty common response is “But I don’t know anything valuable to other people!”
Actually I’d be willing to bet you do.
Finding Your Superpower
If you’ve got a job related skill such as builder, plumber book-keeper or accountant. Barista, insurance agent or perhaps airline employee – (the list is endless), sharing an insider tip or two on how to do something better, faster or cheaper is always going to be welcomed by somebody in a tight spot.
And if none of that seems valuable to you, play along with me for just a few seconds;
Imagine you’re at home, it’s the weekend and you hear a squeal of alarm from the bathroom. Heart pumping, you screech to a halt in front of one of your children who is angelically holding a piece of the flush mechanism in their hand;
“I didn’t do anything – it just came off..”
You can hear water running… and not slowly!
Now imagine that you have the number of a friend in your mobile phone who’d be able to give you exactly the help you need right now in a 2 minute phone call.
And more importantly you absolutely know that this person would be approachable and completely up for giving you the help you need.
Is that valuable? If your DIY skills are as limited as mine, that’s priceless, trust me!
So are you better at maths than most people? Shared around tax time with a friend in need that’s valuable.
Gardening?
Know about cars?
Your special skill might be something as simple as being known as the person people go to for a comforting word and a great cup of coffee when the journey gets rocky as it sometimes does.
But to each of those recipients, in the second they feel the upset/anxiety/fear or frustration leaving them as a result of your words and your smile… well, I’m pretty sure that having that as a memory will feel a billion times more more valuable than knowing that there’s a sports hall just down the road with your name on it.
You are building your legacy every hour of every day whether you want to or not.
The only choice you have is what sort of legacy you’ll leave.
So perhaps a more valuable question might be; Is what I’m creating today, what I want to be remembered for?