Legacy: A gift handed down to the next generation.
A legacy is something everyone leaves behind. It is the sum of all of your life’s efforts which can be passed down and given to those who follow you on this earth.
Whether a legacy is just a good name, lots of money or property, or a body of work, there is value to be derived from your life.
It is also possible to leave behind a negative legacy, a burden for all of those that follow. Your debt has to be paid by those that follow.
It can also be simply having lived a life that had no impact on the lives of others at all or that can be passed forward in any way. Living a life totally egocentric is also a legacy, but it consists of nothing of value to others at all. It may not be negative, but it isn’t positive either. This kind of legacy is a Zero Legacy.
A legacy is in essence the meaning of your life, and the general meaning of every life should be to:
Leave the world a better place than you found it.
Is there a blueprint on how to build such a life? Well, in asking myself this question I came up with a hierarchy of elements that are needed to live life to the fullest. The beauty of it is, is that it prioritizes some elements that people are confused about in knowing what to do to organize their life.
None of these elements are more or less important than the others, because you will get nowhere at all if you don’t have all of them in place.
I arrange them in two ways. First like a universe, which holds the other elements in place in the scheme. Second, in a list from top to bottom, from the starting point to the end point.
Here is the ‘’Legacy List’’ from top to bottom, from beginning to end.
- Passion
- Vehicle
- Lists
- Goals
- Vision
- Mission
Passion: This is the starting point because it represents the things that move your heart in a profound way. It could also be called a ‘’Burning Desire’’ or ‘’Your Why’’ and the characteristic behind it is that this is the thing or things in your life that you would die if you couldn’t live it. It can be to be a great parent to your children, it can be because you love doing a certain activity and it can also be material things which you want to manifest in your life. Whatever it or they may be, your Passion is going to be the source of energy to power your legacy to a positive fulfillment.
Vehicle: This is the second part of the puzzle because unless you have a way to earn your living your legacy can never be achieved. It is the entity that will carry you from your passion to your legacy. It is a place where you can learn, grow and develop in, a place to follow and a place to lead. A place to teach and a place to communicate. It is the ladder that will get you to the top of your life’s meaning, a legacy to be passed down. It can be your own company, a part of another company, an organization like churches or the military, the education system or a league of some kind, like the NBA or theaters. Whatever vehicle you choose is totally your decision, but choose a vehicle that aligns with your passion and what you want to do.
Lists: Lists are so important, because these are the daily tasks of your legacy which will get you to the next level, which is to reach goals. Lists are the steps you take to reach goals. So they are crucially important in the achievement of your legacy.
Goals: Goals are crucial because it makes your progress measurable. Goals can consist of various measurable things all definable by numbers. Money, people and body of works like books, albums and so on. Without goals to reach, your lists mean nothing, your vehicle is worthless and your passion dies because you are not getting anywhere. Goals are the steps you have to take to achieve your Vision.
Vision: Vision is getting what you want in your life, and the sooner the better. It is the fusion of your passion through your vehicle, down the list and through the goals which combine into a life of fulfillment. Vision is the fulfillment of an ideal for your life, which culminates in one word I think for everyone, Freedom. You have all of the elements of a happy life, and are actually really happy yourself. It begins with gratitude, because the faster you get to gratitude, the sooner your vision will become reality.
Mission: Is the activity of helping others achieve their Vision. The Mission of Life is to help others get what they want and ultimately by doing this, getting what you want will come naturally and easily. The ultimate gift of a successful mission is to put a smile on someone’s face due to your generous efforts.
The Mission is fueled by your passion and vision and determines the success at all levels. Without a mission, it will be difficult to reach your dreams and fulfill your why, because the true power we have in life is our ability to help others.
A legacy is the sum of all of these elements and determines the richness of the life you lead.
This is a way to plan your life and focus on the important things now so that you will know Freedom which is in fact the same as Power, because it is simply being able to act upon inspiration to create a result for yourself by helping others.