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ISSN
1943-8133
Volume 2009-08, Issue 1
August 11, 2009
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Hello to our newest
readers. Our group continues to grow from your referrals, for which
we’re most grateful! Thanks for forwarding The Legacy Journal
on to others. Visit our new blog,
too – would love your comments on any of our posts, with your
ideas, thoughts and stories.
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 I
hope you’re having a nice summer. Things are
certainly shifting and changing around us, and like many, you have gone
back to focusing on the basics of what’s important to you,
your family and friends, communities and
work. Legacy building depends on the thing – what
and who you care about, and how you’re going to be involved
in impacting them.
There are as many ways of addressing that – how you will
sustainably make a contribution that is authentically yours and touches
people only you can touch in the way you’re capable
– as there are people in the world.
I was wonderfully re-directed in my thinking about my legacy work
recently by my dear friend Elizabeth
– there we are snapped at a recent coaching conference
together, isn’t she lovely? (We attended our first
together back in 1997!!) Dear Eliza suggested that my work to
help people develop a legacy now – something you can be part
of, build, interact with, step away from and enjoy watching grow
– rather than something incorporated only into end of life
estate planning, is less like giving back and more about
“giving forward.” I so appreciate her unique take
on things.
And I was struck by the truth in that observation.
Consciously choosing to make a positive difference is about deciding
what you want to see in the world putting it forth. It’s
about being an active part of the solution, designing and interacting
with it.
Beginning to consider your legacy now – and incorporating it
into your work and life activities – is also giving forward
into your own life. It is about finding your values and
voice, fashioning your own life story around them, and living it
out. Like producing the movie of your life and what it will
mean, rather than what it will have meant only looking back.
Possibly not quite what you would have wanted that to
be.
I love movies – and our current Legacy Story showcases that
as a possible avenue to express yours. And put another way,
how do you want the movie of your life and work to play out?
Cheers, Dolly
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Never
doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
- Margaret Mead
Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death they would be asked two
questions and their answers would determine whether they could continue
their journey in the afterlife. The first question was, "Did you bring
joy?" The second was, "Did you find joy?"
-Leo Buscaglia
This is the true joy in life: Being used for a purpose recognized by
yourself as a mighty one, being a force of nature instead of a
feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining
that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the
opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I
live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. It is a sort of
splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to
make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future
generations.
-George Bernard Shaw
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CREATING JOY AND MEMORIES
Previous issues have explored how great legacies are inspired,
thoughtful, heart-filled, beneficial, touching and
meaningful. We’ve discussed how they tap into the
powerful human attributes every one of us possesses – of
being generous, wise and creative. And how they deliver their
powerful, positive, and beneficial results to the world through a
design that makes them workable, systematic, and enduring. The final
items in our list highlight the benefits of a great legacy –
for both giver and receiver.
GREAT LEGACIES ARE MEMORABLE. A great legacy, or its impact,
is remembered. Certainly it is remembered by whoever benefits
from the project or contribution.
You may create significant impacts everyday just by virtue of
consciously choosing who you want to be and how you want to you
approach others or your work – you put in a little more
effort than required, you leave something a little better than you
found it, you choose to pay a particular kindness to someone even if
just in passing. It truly is a conscious mindset –
instead of just stepping over the piece of glass on the path, you
choose to pick it up so no one else will injure themselves.
It is from this same legacy level way of being and doing that much
larger legacies are built. They are an expression of your personal
values. People notice that sort of positive or constructive
action, and they remember you for it – fondly.
Actively choosing to create a project or enterprise that similarly
impacts a chosen environment or community you care about will also be
remembered in an even more significant way. What you create
may affect people immediately close to you, like actual or chosen
family, or even members of distant global communities, depending on the
type and scope of your legacy. Some of them you may never
actually know, but they will know of you, through your legacy
… and kind contribution. And because your impact
is so memorable, others may want to participate or even replicate your
efforts.
No matter what, the process of building and watching your legacy grow
is something that you will remember for sure – and be glad
of. Creating your legacy, contributing the benefits only you
can while you can, will prevent that sense of regret later on of the
things you could have done, but didn’t – like
smelling more roses or eating more ice cream.
GREAT LEGACIES ARE JOYFUL. Legacies consciously designed to
create sustainable positive benefits encompass a true sense of delight
both for you, and for those who benefit. For you, that may take the
form of amusement in playing with the original idea, a sense of pride
for the cheer or comfort delivered to others in the process, gratitude
for seeing the end result play out and the impact your work has
– or all three and many others. For the recipients
of your contribution, joy may be expressed through a sense of delight,
great relief, or deep appreciation for the benefit or experience they
may not have otherwise had.
Developing a legacy project can provide a true sense of awe and wonder
about how the process of creation works. The experience of
being a part of something that grows and morphs into a real
contribution and that attracts the attention and involvement of others,
can also provide a sense of real connection with the Divine or
‘oneness with the universe,’ however you define
that. During the process, people and resources just seem to
show up, experiences just seem to happen effortlessly, and you may have
other special experiences that seem to tap into the greater
good. These are special brands of happiness and well-being
that are profound elements of true joy – that you can choose
to cultivate.
SO THAT’S IT – ALL FOURTEEN ELEMENTS.
Again, there may be more. If you missed any of the previous
ones, click here
and we’ll send them to you.
These elements of great legacies can be grasped and mastered by anyone,
and developed in your own unique way. What are the sparks
that inspire you - that stir inside you when you take the time to
entertain them? What are your good ideas, the ones you consider sharing
with others - but might be a bit shy to admit?
Yes, those. Right there. The ones you might be
reluctant about. They seem like really are good ideas that
mean something to you, and would mean something to others, but you may
question your own ability to create them. Well grab hold of
your thoughts, and at least write them down somewhere to give them
their first bit of “mass.”
You’ll be on your way to making something from nothing
– exercising that innate creative ability with which all
humans are endowed.
Great legacies don't happen overnight. But once you get
started, you might be surprised how, stepwise, you can systematically
develop your good ideas, find needed support to nurture and grow them
– and how they can turn into enduring, beneficial solutions
that are both memorable and exceedingly satisfying to see working in
the world.
What are you waiting for, you creative being?
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OVERCOMING ARTIST ENVY -
PART 1
I
envy artists. Or at least I did until I realized my own
creative potential.
From a legacy perspective, people who create tangible things of beauty
like a painting or sculpture, or that inform like a book or movie, seem
to naturally engage more directly in the legacy process than others.
That process has essentially three parts:
- A
focus on producing some public good or filling some social need through
giving the authentic YOU to the world in a way that really adds
value
- It’s
something that from the outset you know you will step away from
– at some point you will let others carry on the work, expand
it, bring it to more people in keeping with its defined purpose or
mission, and
- Appropriate
to your scope and form, it will be operated in a business-like fashion
so it remains viable, sustainable and enduring – and
consequently benefit as many people as possible for as long as
possible.
A given individual may have challenges with one part of this legacy
process or another. Artists for example, often seem to
struggle with the business operation part. Their work is
authentic and provides value to others, and they know their creation
sits apart from them and they will let go of it when it is
finished. And generally the creation will endure, if often
only in another individual’s possession. Creating a
business operation around the production of a given piece or the
artist’s work in general is often the sticking point that
when addressed would allow the work to continue and benefit many more.
Among my favorite artist legacy creators are movie makers –
the writers, directors and producers who take a story and tell it on
film, disseminating it to millions of people, allowing the tale to be
told over and over. And of them, I am most fascinated by
documentary film makers, who work beyond entertainment. They
capture and convey important information. Both films of
beauty and meaning, and films that disseminate information add real
value. But the significant messages in a documentary film can
also move the world and make real change.
The film Food
Inc. strikes me as such
a legacy project. The story vividly demonstrates how the
healthy farms we like to think our food comes from have been replaced
by an industrialized food system. That way of producing our
food has important effects on our environment, our health and our
schools, and significantly impacts our economy and the circumstances of
people working in the industry. The film depicted agriculture
very different from the working farms near where I grew up in the Ohio
farm belt, and the involvement of the legal system in ways that frankly
shocked me as a lawyer.
The movie also suggested ways that you can get involved with the
issues, and actions you can individually take to make a
difference. Got my attention.
In this digital age, such artists can do much more to expand and
leverage the reach that such legacy level projects have. With
websites, blogs and related resources they can continue to impact many
others after the film is viewed, by educating and providing tips and
suggestions on their subject. The
makers of Food Inc. do just that through a blog
and a related website.
It’s a great modern day example of collaborative effort that
makes a difference that will quite likely impact many future
generations. It stands on its own and will be disseminated
far and wide to many people as a great legacy project.
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Email me
about someone you know who is living or building a legacy.
We'd love to feature their story. Maybe it's you?!
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UPCOMING TELEPROGRAM!
You
are invited to a free preview for our legacy development program
“7 Steps to Creating Your Legacy” set to launch
this fall:
Why Women Professionals
and Business Owners Must Create A Legacy
Why must
they? Essentially, because they can.
And for at least three reasons:
- It’s
time that successful women take a bigger lead in making positive change
- If
you’ve had the freedom and education that allows you to serve
as a professional or own a business, you are in a privileged minority
of people with access to the necessary resources, and
- It
may well be the most fulfilling thing you’ve ever
done.
Our
next preview program is Wednesday August 19 at 10a PT / 11a MT / noon
CT / 1p ET - delivered by teleconference so you can participate from
the comfort of wherever you happen to be! Click here
for more information and to register to participate.
Look forward to hearing you on the call!
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I
like to let you know about colleagues who are doing interesting
things. Here are some fabulous products and services of
others that you may find helpful:
KEEP IT SIMPLE!
Have you discovered Simple-ology yet?
Developed by genius Mark Joyner (4 time #1 bestselling author, highly
decorated former U.S. Army intelligence agent, and Internet business
pioneer), it is a, well yes, simple and easy to use 15 minute a day
practice. It's called Simple-ology
101 "The Simple Science of Getting What You Want."
Used by CEO's, Olympians, Work-At-Home-Moms, Artists, Entrepreneurs and
close to 398,000 others including yours truly, you can access it
through the link above at no charge to you. We are honored to
feature and recommend all their great products.
WRITE AND CHANGE THE WORLD
Might your legacy be in the form of a book? Have you ever
said: “Someday I’m going to write that
book.”
Do you or does someone you know have a book buried deep inside, longing
to come out and serve the world? If you (1) don’t know where
to begin, (2) are stuck in the middle, (3) can’t quite get it
finished (4) or don’t know what to do next …
Here’s your chance to learn from a pair of super-successful,
published authors and masterful teachers of the book writing process,
start to finish. My colleagues Lynne Klippel and Christine
Kloser have teamed up on an exciting program appropriately called: Get
Your Book Done. They are holding a free preview call on September 1,
2009 – click here
to access the info about it and sign up!
.
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 Dolly M. Garlo, RN, JD,
PCC is the founder and president of Thrive!!®
Inc.
and Creating Legacy™. It is a company devoted to empowering
business owners and entrepreneurially minded professionals make their
positive impact in the world - with joy and meaning.
For 30 + years Dolly has supported clients in many different arenas -
healthcare, law and business. While she's currently best known for her
expertise in business development and professional career transition,
her clients, members of Generation G (for generosity!) share that her
biggest impact comes from her philosophy.
That philosophy is to design your work and create an exceptional life
by making sure that all your actions reflect your personal integrity
and values, greatest level of wellness, highest and best contribution,
and individual sense of abundance - for which you can feel exceedingly
grateful. These, Dolly says, are the keys to true, lasting satisfaction
and happiness from which you can also "make a positive difference that
lasts for generations."
You can learn more about Dolly and her programs, presentations and
products at CreatingLegacy.com and AllThrive.com.
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You
may absolutely share this newsletter with people you think may enjoy
it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety, including our
contact and copyright information.
Thanks
and enjoy!
The
Legacy Journal newsletter is written by Dolly M. Garlo: http://www.CreatingLegacy.com.
If you have any questions or comments, please send them to: Dolly@CreatingLegacy.com.
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