Are you leaving a legacy or are you one more human being passing by?
This is a very interesting question I have wrestled with for a few years. For some reason, for me it was very important to not simply pass through life and then die, but to leave concrete evidence after you are gone, that you left the planet a better place than when you lived in it.
A great writer named Jose Marti said that every man in order to leave a legacy, should have a child, plant a tree and write a book.
I did all three; however, I believe that leaving a legacy goes farther than doing those three things, although doing those three definitely helps in leaving a legacy.
I believe that legacy is about more than reputation or good deeds you might have done when you were alive.
I think it is about whom people become because of who you were as Dr. Gary Brandon declared during a recent speech in Orlando.
Legacy is not determined by academic titles, positions you might have had in private industry or government or by your rank in society.
It is defined as the number of successes you lead others to during your lifetime.
So, there are a few thoughts I will like to share with you on how to craft your legacy.
Mind you, this is my personal opinion, since I am sure that some will disagree.
I believe that if you are considering leaving a legacy, you must have big dreams.
If you don’t have a dream, how are you going to have a dream come true.
My father used to publish who is who books and he was very successful in selling advertising in those books, producing and selling them. He must have published at least 20 of those books, his last one in 1992 just before his tragic death in a car accident in 1993. On his best selling year, he sold 20,000 copies.
I had a dream of writing my own books and outselling my father, not with the intention of making him less than I, but because I knew that he would want his own son to do better than him.
One of the biggest regrets I have in my life is that when my book Don’t Eat the Marshmallow Yet became a worldwide bestseller with over 2 million copies sold, he wasn’t around to see it.
I would want my daughter to write a book and outsell my book because parents want their children to do better than they have ever done and to achieve greater goals in their lifetimes.
To leave a legacy, you must re ignite your passion. My friends, if you are bored to death in your present job, you will leave no legacy.
You must do in life that which allows you to utilize your strengths and you feel passion for.
If you are in an old job and there is nothing you can do about it, for whatever reason, find new passion in your job by adopting a cause bigger than yourself. Think about what you can do in your present position that would present a challenge that will make you thrive.
Good things usually begin with a difficulty, but great things invariably begin with impossibility. Welcome the impossible as the messenger of impending greatness and progress.
Accept that you are nature’s greatest miracle. Your brain is capable of making and storing enough connections and information that the total number would be expressed by a one followed by 6.5 million miles of zeros a number that would stretch from the Earth to the Moon, and back 14 times.
There is no limit to what you can accomplish if you believe in yourself and you go for it.
Reach beyond yourself. By intentionally raising your own expectations of yourself, you will create a gap between where you are and where you wish to be. Having created this gap for yourself, everything about you will automatically begin working on your behalf to close it. This explains why goal setters enjoy boundless energy and never seem to get tired.
To get somewhere you have never been, you have to do something you have never done, so action is the most important factor in getting to the point where you will leave a legacy.
Last but not least, think big but act small.
It is the smallest acts that make the biggest differences.
Coach John Wooten always thought big. He wanted his teams to win the NCAA championship. No small feat, yet his teams won it ten times, seven of them in a row and four times he had 30-0 winning seasons.
He told his players that “seemingly innocuous things make the difference between champions and near champions.
He would begin the first squad meeting of a new season with the same demonstration year after year.
What do you think is the first thing he taught those kids?
Not how to pass the ball, dribble, rebound or the basics. No. The first thing he taught them was HOW TO PUT ON YOUR SOCKS.
That is right. How to put on your socks.
Why?
Because wrinkles, folds and creases cause blisters and those interfere with performance during practice and games and that loses games.
Yes, it is the small things that make a difference and allow you to reach your goals and leave a legacy.
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