Legacy is a word that we constantly utilize with our team...both the one that has been left to us as well as the one that we want to leave for the next generation of Lady Tigers. Here are some good thoughts from the late Jim Rohn and why leaving a legacy is important:The legacy we leave is part of the ongoing foundations of life. Those who came before leave us the world we live in. Those who will come after will have only what we leave them. We are stewards of this world, and we have a calling to leave it better than how we found it, even if it seems like such a small part.
Legacies have raw power for good and for bad. There are people who have changed the world for good, people who have opened up new worlds for millions of others, people who have spurred others on to new heights. And there are people who have caused massive destruction for countless millions, people who left a wake of pain behind them wherever they went.
There are parents who have blessed their children with greatness and other parents who have ruined their children's fragile minds and hearts. What we do affects others. Our lives have the power to create good or to purvey evil. It is important that we choose to do good.
It is an act of responsibility to leave a legacy. Because of the power of our lives and the legacies we leave, it is a great responsibility to choose to leave a positive legacy. All good men and women must take responsibility to create legacies that will take the next generation to a level we could only imagine. I truly believe that part of what makes us good and honorable people is to have a foundational part of our lives based on the goal of leaving a legacy.
Purposefully leaving a legacy for others breaks the downward pull of selfishness that can be inherent in us. When we strive to leave a legacy, we are acting with a selflessness that can only be good for us. Yes, I suppose someone could work hard to earn money so that when he or she dies, a building is named after them, but that is not the kind of legacy we are talking about. We are talking about legacies that make life better for those who come after us, not about our own fame or recognition, but about helping others. After all, we won't be around to watch our legacy. To build that which will last beyond us is selfless, and living with that in mind breaks the power of selfishness that tries so desperately to engrain itself in our lives.
It also keeps us focused on the big picture. Legacy building is "big picture." It keeps us focused on the long term and gives us values by which we can judge our actions. When we act based on selfishness, personal expediency and the like, we are "small picture"—whatever is pragmatic right now. When we build a life that will give for many years, we are "big picture." Ask yourself: How does this action affect my overall goals? How will this affect people in the years to come?
Yes, your legacy is very important. Reflect today on how you are going to build a life that leaves a tremendous legacy!
