Creating a Now Legacy from Life’s 5 Biggest Questions
Legacy. It’s a word that brings thoughts of, “How do I want to be remembered when I die?”
For me this year it has brought a lot more thoughts of “How do I want to be known while I am alive?”
The latter is the question I have been exploring with God, because if I am not known while I am alive, I will certainly not be remembered well when I die.
The expression of our legacy comes through living out the convictions in our hearts.
Living out.
Those are the key words.
But in my experience with coaching and training leaders and teams in emotional awareness and relational intelligence, most people can’t articulate their heart convictions.
They can’t name their values.
They waiver on their beliefs.
And if they can’t name them, they sure can’t live them out.
That’s problem #1. Not knowing our hearts.
Problem #2 is that even when people do have that awareness, many keep them so private nobody knows what they really are.
Therefore, nobody knows who they really are.
And if nobody knows who you are or what you stand for, you are hiding the very thing only you can bring to this world.
You.
The experience of life as you can only come through you.
So why do we hold back?
Fear.
Fear holds us back. Fear of what others might think. Fear of rejection. Fear of being misunderstood. Fear of losing relationships. Even fear of finding out what’s really in this heart of mine.
Fear is the enemy to healthy emotional awareness, and if we will walk in the courage that recognizes what’s on the other side of that fear is more important than the fear itself, we can discover some beautiful truths to create a unique and powerful legacy. Right now.
Where do we start?
With Life’s 5 Biggest Questions:
Creating a Now Legacy Starts with Life’s 5 Biggest Questions
- Who are you?
Go ahead and answer that with as much information as you can… as long as you don’t answer with a role you have in life (mom, wife, president, etc…) or what you do.
What you do is not who you are. “I am a teacher” tells me nothing about who you are at your core. “I am a lover of knowledge and it is my passion to share that with others.” Now that tells me more of who you are.
Are you introverted, loud, expressive, emotional, stoic?
Who are you? - Where are you?
In life’s journey, where are you? Are you at the apex of your career? A beginning college student? Standing at a crossroads unsure of what direction to take? Are you lost?
Think about it.
Where are you? - What do you want?
We aren’t talking about the luxury car or big house.
With everything material stripped away, what do you really want?
To discover a cure for cancer?
Or help at-risk youth get to a safe and productive place in life?
What makes your heart beat strong?
What do you really want? - Why do you want it?
What is underneath “the thing”?
To be loved?
To show love?
To be wanted?
To protect others?
To be protected?
What is your why?
Why do you want what you want? - What are you doing about it?
When you have determined with clarity who you are, where you are, what you want, and why… you have to ask yourself what you are doing about it.
What are you doing to get there? To stay there? To grow there?
Because if you aren’t intentional in your actions to move toward what’s in your heart… who will be?
Don’t let your legacy die because you weren’t intentional.
That would be a sad ending to your beautiful life.
Take the time to be intentional. To be known now. For the person you really are.
Take the time needed to answer these questions honestly, then choose the actions you will take to live it out.
What we pour our energy out toward will determine our legacy.
Where is your energy being poured out?
What changes need to be made?
What legacy will you create?
Why not start now?
Enjoy the journey!
Brenda
Brenda is a believer in impossible possibilities. In brokenness becoming beautiful. In justice and mercy and honor and power – with love perfecting them all. She is a wife, mom, mimi, daughter, and friend who also enjoys speaking, writing, and coaching.