Legacy - 1

When you think of the word legacy, what comes to mind? Well, depending on your cultural context or experiences, it may translate to mean various things to you.

Let’s attempt to unify our views from Webster’s dictionary definition, which says, legacy is

1: a gift by will, especially of money or other personal property.

2: something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past.

In its basic meaning, a legacy is a gift of money or other personal property that’s granted by the terms of a will, and it could also be things such as memories or knowledge that comes from the past or person of the past.

A synonym would be the word inheritance.

When you think of this word, do you lean towards money or property that will be passed on at the end of life, or do you think more of insights, wisdom, and values instilled into the next generation or anyone you are privileged to positively influence regularly?

What will be the real benefit if we wait until we die to leave our children’s inheritance? Wouldn’t it be better and more beneficial to impart wisdom in them intentionally today? The wisdom they observe in us or the wisdom they acquire through personal growth journey as they engage in enriching materials as self-learners and doers, or do we leave it to chance and hope they stumble into it somehow.

“All good men and women must take responsibility to create legacies that will take the next generation to a level we could only imagine.”

~ Jim Rohn

We don’t want to labor and leave for the next generation “everything” as far as money and property without leaving in them wisdom for living.

In this 21st century, where both parents work, children’s lives are focused on school, sports, and other extracurricular activities. Admittedly life has become hectic for the whole family. Families hardly eat together daily consistently, and even when they do, sometimes they are on the phone or watching TV.

We all need to stop and re-evaluate.

“If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn’t need motivation to speed up. He needs education to turn him around.” ~ Jim Rohn

Growing up, my parents encouraged us to read. My dad challenged my siblings and I to read and give a book review, and he would pay us. You bet I took the challenge and earned extra pocket money or allowance, as some would call it. I used my money to fund my passion, which at the time was fashion. I would buy a fashion magazine to inspire my customized style sketch, buy some fabric, and get a tailor to sew it.

This reading challenge also made me an avid reader and helped me to become self-motivated. My main distraction from reading one book will be another book calling for me. I’m so grateful for this. Because both my parents valued knowledge, as a result, we had a rich library full of books covering diverse topics, including business development and management books.

While pursuing a degree in engineering, I participated in a series of internships and this experience helped me discover that I did not want to be the engineer behind the design and engineering bench, but rather be positioned to interact with people daily. So I read as many business and marketing books as I could lay my hands on to minor in business marketing. This acquired knowledge significantly advanced my career in that all my jobs after graduation ended up being in engineering marketing, the last one being a senior marketing executive (career story for another blog).

I share my story to illustrate how part of the legacy my parents have instilled in me is that of a self-motivated learner and doer. The books, materials, and experiences they exposed us to are priceless. As a self-learner, you earn several degrees howbeit without a certificate to show for it. But your life tells the story, and you can pass a legacy beyond monetary value to your children and those you influence on your life’s journey.

We all don’t have to wait till we die to pass our legacy on. We want to intentionally acquire wisdom and pass it on with every encounter we have with others. Let us bring legacy into our daily living and ask the question, “What am I giving, passing on, and being remembered for?”

The next generation cannot afford to wait until this current generation dies to cash in on their legacy. Life is happening faster today; time is being compressed. What used to take ten years to change now changes within a few months, such as the drastic change in cell phones to smartphones and many other recent changes.

Our youth are required to grow up and embrace more significant responsibility levels now, so they need that “legacy” to be passed on today when they need it the most. If I waited until my grandfather died at age 116 before I got his “legacy,” it would have been too late. Too late to learn, among other things, lessons on responsibility that he taught me as a kid and through my teen years, which has benefitted me greatly. Also, if we reserve legacy for just monetary value, we’ll be gravely mistaken, for money loses value over time.

Take Action! Appraise your unique situation and ask, what legacy do I have in my possession or in my will today -money, property, wisdom, knowledge, connections, or memories that the next generation needs to succeed now and prepare for the future?

Let’s pass on legacy daily because the next generation cannot afford to wait until we are gone to receive it. 

Legacy is not what you leave behind. It’s what you set in motion today.

#legacycannotwait