Concluding Thoughts
Please think about your legacy because you are writing it every day.
—Gary Vaynerchuk
The stories in this book highlight the fact that there are at least eight legacy pathways. There are many other ideas one can use to enrich legacy in a lifetime and truly make a lasting difference in the world.
In an article on legacy and impact, Eric Lau (2015), senior faculty at Leaderonomics, highlighted important legacy considerations such as looking into one’s heart to make a difference, leveraging one’s talent, using a circle of influence to find change, and not making money the end game.
George Raveling (2016), former head basketball coach of Washington State, Iowa, and USC offered several pointers to a meaningful legacy including: (1) serve rather than be served, (2) build on your strengths, (3) seek excellence, (4) show the world something new, (5) strengthen relationships, (6) prioritize your actions, (7) add value to other people’s lives, (8) steer away from your comfort zone, (9) be a role model, and
(10) help others achieve more than they think they can.
A life transition expert Bart Astor (2013) suggested the following: (1) creating a family history, (2) giving to charity, (3) crafting a legacy letter, and (4) putting together an ethical will.
Aspiriant Director in Wealth Management Gregory Fasig (2018) underscored the importance of (1) identifying what your legacy is, (2) sharing your desired legacy with others, (3) tying in your legacy into your daily life and activities, (4) gathering support for your legacy, (5) growing your legacy by educating others and leveraging your network, and (6) celebrating your legacy by bringing people together and sharing your progress.
Co-founder of the L Group, Lee Colan (2018) proposed sharing what you can in terms of time, treasure, and talent.
Author Larry Smith (2008) recommended the use of a six-word memoir to crystallize one’s idea in terms of life’s meaning and legacy.
I would further suggest the use of a model I call the Legacy Diamond—a three-angled action plan comprising of: (1) Notion—the idea or concept driving your legacy plan, (2) Ambition—the energy and drive that leads to a High Memory Capacity pursuit, and (3) Execution—the planning and implementation framework that transforms one’s sense of purpose from dream to reality.
Figure 11.1 is an illustration of the Legacy Diamond.
Figure 11.1 The legacy diamond
Table 11.1 shows a few examples of how the Legacy Diamond model may be utilized.
Table 11.1 Application of the legacy diamond
|
Person |
Notion |
Ambition |
Execution |
|
Student |
Leverage social media marketing skills to create a lasting legacy |
Driven and passionate about promoting entrepreneurship among minority youth |
Use of the Strategic Legacy Plan model while aligning notion and ambition in the process of implementation (Impact: Thousands of youth helped through minority entrepreneurship programs) |
|
Executive |
Leverage supply chain and logistics skills to create a lasting legacy |
Driven and passionate about the speedy assistance of victims in calamities and natural disasters |
Use of the Strategic Legacy Plan model while aligning notion and ambition in the process of implementation (Impact: Thousands of victims helped as a result to prompt emergency response programs worldwide) |
|
Retiree |
Leverage excess financial resources to create a lasting legacy |
Driven and passionate about the natural environment and its preservation worldwide |
Use of the Strategic Legacy Plan model while aligning notion and ambition in the process of implementation (Impact: Preservation of forests in several locations around the world) |
The Legacy Diamond underscores the fact that we must not just think and plan about legacy. In order to make a real impact, we need to take action and execute it. A successful legacy is the convergence of our true purpose, our desires, and our ability and intent of executing our plans.
As we approach the end of our lives, we all want to feel that we have made a difference. We all want to feel we’ve accomplished a goal and purpose and made this world better than when we first found it. This strong drive for fulfillment and purpose is what leads to the creation of nonprofit organizations, social enterprises, and philanthropic work all over the world.
For example, a Scottish-American businessman Andrew Carnegie donated money to build 2,509 Carnegie libraries across several countries. Nowadays, we see billionaires and millionaires passing on their wealth to charitable causes. In academia, we see wealthy patrons donating money to have a building, stadium, or a school named in their honor. We see the elderly offering their services and donating money to the church. These acts of kindness were driven by a desire to make a significant difference and to enrich one’s final legacy.
In the end, we leave behind fragments of our thoughts, ideas, values, deeds, and possessions. Most importantly, we leave behind our love—to our family, friends, and society. We leave behind our legacy of love, friendship, and community that accompanies our life story.
While the scope, scale, and depth of our legacies are important, it is the seemingly small seeds of goodness every day that adds to our legacies and shapes our personal stories. Creating a legacy is rarely a one-time event; it is a series of small acts that is built over time.
How we existed in our lifetime has implications not only on our Memorial Capacity but also our lingering impact on people and society. Your intellectual contributions by way of ideas would spur the creation of other ideas. The message of love you taught your loved ones will in turn define the way they love others in their own lifetime. Your charitable contributions would change the lives of several individuals and would in turn enable them to help others. One’s legacy pays itself forward.
Ultimately, the way we live our lives define our story and legacy.
How will your son or daughter remember you? What about your grandchildren and great grandchildren? What about your spouse? Or your friends? The reality is that your personal legacy does not have to be grand. You have the ability to demonstrate the eight types of legacy to your loved ones in your own way—financial, social, political, intellectual, spiritual, cultural, physical, and historical. For instance, passing along money and possessions to loved ones will be some form of financial legacy. Taking your family on a foreign trip will be some form of cultural legacy. Teaching your children and grandchildren how to pray will be some form of spiritual legacy.
We are all empowered to create our legacies—simple or grand—in our own special way.
A conscious and dedicated effort toward this end will lead to more meaningful results. Our chosen courses of action will determine the future trajectory of our legacy and the impact it produces in years to come.
Bronnie Ware (2019), an Australian palliative nurse and author of the book, The Five Regrets of the Dying, underscored five actions those dying wished they had done differently: (1) allow oneself to be happier, (2) didn’t work so hard, (3) courage to live a life true to oneself, (4) expressed real feelings, and (5) kept in touch with friends. When pursuing activities in line with your real purpose and happiness, you’ll find your life to be of meaning and value. Consequently, you will be well poised to create and leave behind a powerful and lasting legacy.
How will you be remembered in 50 or more years? What type of Memorial Capacity will you have? How many lives have you impacted? Did you make the world a better place? The nuggets of wisdom from the stories and lessons in this book, the Strategic Legacy Plan (SLP) as well as the Legacy Diamond, could provide a roadmap to finding your true self and your discovery of meaningful and memorable pursuits along the way.
References
Astor, B. 2013. “4 Smart Ways to Leave a Legacy,” Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2013/08/01/4-smart-ways-to-leave-a-legacy/#65823abd313c.
Colan, L. 2018. “How Leave a Legacy of Significance,” Inc. https://www.inc.com/lee-colan/how-to-leave-a-legacy-of-significance.html.
Fasig, G. 2018. “6 Ways to Leaving an Impactful Legacy,” Aspiriant. https://aspiriant.com/fathom/wealth-planning/6-steps-leaving-impactful-legacy/.
Lau, E. 2015. “Leaving a Legacy, Making an Impact,” Leaderonomics. https://leaderonomics.com/leadership/leaving-a-legacy-making-an-impact.
Raveling, G. 2016. “21 Ways to Build a Meaningful Legacy,” Observer. https://observer.com/2016/07/21-ways-to-build-a-meaningful-legacy/.
Smith, L. 2008. One Life, 6 words—What’s Yours?: Six-word Memoirs from Smith Magazine. New York, NY: Harper Press.
Ware, B. 2019. The Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House.