It’s easy to see how
some people create a legacy through how they live their lives, but are you
aware of how you are doing this? Does a legacy have to be grand to count? Maybe
what follows will answer that question.
Years back I watched a
PBS series titled "Road Trip," where the narrator took his parents,
who were in their eighties, around the United States in an RV. Sometimes
when we observe others, we focus on the surface of what we see. So, what was
under the surface in this instance?
The son revealed that
his parents' first child was a daughter who did not live long. The four
brothers grew up aware they'd had a sister and that their parents preferred not
to speak about that loss. The son said he always wondered how their lives would
have been different had their sister lived; that the factor of one, whether with us or gone from us, can have a
profound effect.
In the final minutes
of the last segment, the father sat peacefully at the end of a pier and looked
out over a serene lake in a wooded area. In the voiceover for that scene, the
son commented that his father was always ready to sing and laugh despite the
fact he had buried a child, fought in a world war, lost his fortune and
retirement twice, won over cancer, sustained a marriage for six decades, and
with his wife raised four sons into good men. He said when his father left the earth
no one would name a street after him or take special note of him in history.
Yet, he left a quiet legacy that would affect several generations because of
who he was and how he chose to live his life. The father’s factor of one touched and influenced every person he interacted
with, most especially his family.
The father didn’t
focus on creating a legacy; he focused on living in a way that made sense to
him, especially when faced with life events and circumstances that had the
potential to wear him down. He aimed to do and be the best he could, in light
of whatever came his way. Some of us are aware of the legacy we create through how
we live and what and how we contribute to others and life. Most of us never
give our legacy a thought, which is fine. Such contemplation isn’t required in
order for a legacy to be created; it’s created with or without that
contemplation.
At this point, you may
be thinking about moments from your past that you don’t feel good about.
Anything from your past that you regret—let it go—it’s over. You can make
better choices from this moment on. You know more and are more now than you
were then. Yes, learn from those times, but let them go. Right now, in the
moment you stand in, you can decide who you are and how you want to be and will
be, from this time forward, aware that you leave an imprint. I recall something
I was told by a music teacher way back when: even if you mess up in the middle
of singing a song, as long as you end the song really well, that’s what people
will mostly remember. Your life can be the same as a song. Your life is your
song.
We all have occasion
to feel overwhelmed by events. In such moments, we may temporarily forget our contribution
to the bigger picture of our shared lives. We may forget that our own factor of
one creates ripples at all times. On the positive side of this, we don’t always know when one seemingly
simple gesture, word, or kindness on our part reaches into the heart of another
and makes a significant difference. I venture to say this happens more
often than we are aware of.
Legacy is about what
we contribute while we’re here. It doesn’t have to be grand; it just has to
come from our heart and authentic self. It may be as simple as the example we
are to others, not that we are to overwhelm or burden ourselves with thoughts
of this. Our example does not guarantee good or bad behavior from others. Each
of us is, after all, responsible for who and how we are and what we choose.
It’s ultimately about what we desire to see when we view ourselves in the mirror of our lives, not how others see
us. However, in some respects, they will see
us the way we see ourselves, as well as some of our aspects we are not
necessarily conscious of.
Keep in mind that every moment of our time on this earth is a
pebble dropped into a pond. We may be aware of how we affect those nearest to
our center point and forget to be aware of how far the ripples may travel. Each
of us creates a legacy, more often a fairly quiet one than not. But as with the
quantum universe, the size of our legacy is irrelevant. Every ripple is
significant in some measure, contributes to the whole. Every ripple is a relevant
thread in the larger tapestry.
Perhaps from this
moment on, we can remember that we are weavers and can seek to ensure that some
of our threads are ones that endure the tests of time, integrity, and merit.
It’s never too late to start now. It’s a good practice, one
you’ll appreciate.
Practice makes progress.
© Joyce L. Shafer
You are welcome to use this article in your
newsletter or on your blog/website as long as you use my complete bio with it.
Joyce L. Shafer is a Life Empowerment
Coach dedicated to helping people feel, be, and live their true inner power.
She’s author of “I Don’t Want to be Your Guru, But I Have Something to Say” and
other books/e-books, and publishes a free weekly online newsletter that offers
empowering articles. See all that’s offered by Joyce and on her site at http://stateofappreciation.weebly.com
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