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| ISSN
1943-8133
Volume 2009-02, Issue 1
February 15, 2009
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It's
a serendipitous delight to publish our first issue at Valentine's Day!
Might seem like a greeting card holiday to some, but it's been
celebrated since the Middle Ages. And legends of the holiday have been
embodied ancient images of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. All
honoring that universal energy: love.
To me,
legacy
embodies the very essence of love: a legacy is the sum total of our
contributions in life done in the spirit of love. Whatever its form, we
each have a personal legacy comprised of who we are, who and what we
care about, and what we do to support or enrich the life energy on this
planet. As the grand design would have it, engaging in these activities
feels satisfying and fulfilling.
I have often
contemplated
what the world would be like if everyone was more conscious of their
own legacy - doing those things that are natural, easy and even fun for
them, that they do well, and focused on making the greatest positive
impact. In giving these personal gifts, there is tremendous reward. It
is the quintessential win-win.
We each have a
legacy,
recognized simply by reviewing the content of our lives. Is it all
you'd like it to be? How will you be remembered? What would you do
differently starting today if you approached your life aware fully
aware of your choices? If you focused on the values you want to convey,
and engaged in all the creative, beneficial projects that move you?
Creating
Legacy seeks to cultivate that consciousness and assist you to build
great things. Take a look at our website, read and contribute to the
blog as it gets going, and share your thoughts. Get a copy of our
Creating Legacy Kit and begin to explore this territory for yourself.
I'll be eager to hear your ideas, and see what you choose to create
that makes a lasting difference.
Cheers, Dolly
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"No
individual has any right to come into the world and go out of it
without
leaving behind him distinct and legitimate reasons for having passed
through it"
-
George Washington Carver
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What is Legacy? Legacy As Love
We
will all be known, and remembered, for something, by someone. Creating
legacy is about becoming more conscious and deliberate about how you
move through and impact the people and the world around you - because
you're already doing it anyway. So the fundamental initial question is
this: is what you're doing how you truly want to impact them?
This
notion of being remembered is not egotistical. Acting from ego may get
you remembered - possibly for the wrong things and not how we truly
intend. Deep down we all want to be authentic and genuine, to give our
personal gifts of talent, skills, time and other resources and be
appreciated for it. The most rewarding way to be remembered results
from intentionally touching people through our activities in the world
in a way that makes a positive difference. And it can impact people who
never actually meet you or know you at all, but will be glad for what
you chose to do.
It is likely that there are
people you
have already touched, and for whom you've made a difference, in ways
that you may not even realize. So you might start this journey by
thinking of those people and related events in your life that made a
profound difference for you - for which you are truly grateful. You may
even want to consider connecting with those people, let them know about
what it is they did that impacted you so profoundly ... and say thanks.
You already have a developing legacy. It lives
in how
others currently perceive you and the contributions you have already
made - both tangible and intangible. You may be surprised that others
already think so much of you - in your family, among your friends,
throughout your professional and other communities. You may want to ask
a few of them how they perceive you - it may even surprise you to hear
about your attributes, rather than the flaws you may think you need to
overcome.
They say that love is caring about
someone
else's happiness more than your own, and deriving happiness from that.
It starts with making the choice to be happy with yourself and your own
life just the way it is - your attitude, one of the things you actually
have control over. Cultivating that attitude is the start to creating a
great legacy from love.
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There
are many stories that demonstrate the variety of approaches people from
different walks of life have taken in developing their legacy projects.
We'll compile them on the website. Maybe one will inspire you to
action.
First, I want to share the replies I
got from a
few folks* I interviewed when I was first exploring the subject of
legacy. I asked the following questions:
·
What does the word Legacy mean to you?
· If you
were to consider creating a legacy, what would it be?
·
Is there an optimal time of life to create a legacy?
Curt
Curt
is a mid-40's financial planner. To him, a legacy means making a
lasting difference in the world. He thinks everybody has a dream to do
something big, and at some point thinks "I could never do that." And
yet that's exactly where they should get involved. I couldn't agree
more!
He says even if it's a contribution of
'sweat equity,'
rather than money, we can do more. He is exploring the causes that most
interest him. He's drawn to the idea of combining his interest in
disadvantaged kids and his involvement in the United States Golf
Association in a way that teaches kids various life lessons through
pursuit of the sport of golf.
As for an
optimal time of
life, he adds that it's probably when you finally focus on it and
define it. From his professional perspective he adds: especially after
retirement, since it seems too many people are more active in their
communities when they are working and less so when they stop. That time
of financial freedom is when they can be more active and involved - not
less - in making a positive difference.
Frieda
Frieda
is a retired teacher, school administrator and women's sports coach.
Her first thought about legacy had an estate planning orientation. She
mentioned her Will and wanting her husband to know that he is
absolutely first in her life, then taking care of family. If she
outlives them all, she would contribute her assets to other
institutions - and likes the idea of donating to other people's
legacies, like for the upkeep of a college gymnasium that a colleague
of hers built.
She also thinks that a legacy
is what you
leave on, making the world better - and that it might be nice to think
more about that during your life rather than at the end. For her it is
about a spiritual connection and relationships - it's what lives on in
other people. Frieda would especially like to be remembered by the
people she's touched in her own spiritual community - to create and be
involved in something that has a life of its own, nurture it and not
shape or interfere with it through her own process.
For
Frieda, legacy is about living her primary purpose. She is most moved
to devote her time and energy to help relieve hurt, pain and abuse.
That purpose lives in her heart because the institution she most
supports, the voluntary 12-step programs around the world, are designed
to be self-supporting financially. That's built into their structure
and she can't contribute assets. She feels the feels the optimal time
of life to pursue your legacy is your whole life long. Based on her
particular passion, Frieda will find a different way to contribute her
tangible assets.
Myrna
Myrna
sees legacy as what she will have done when she's gone that will have a
lasting impact. She thinks making a difference is important while she's
here, but that legacy adds the piece of what she's leaving behind.
Legacy is about being more of who you really are: "you touch many, but
you know not who you touch," she adds.
To
Myrna legacy on
a day to day basis is "making lives better through having known me, but
not in an egotistical sense." It includes a conscious way of being, for
example touching each person she meets with kindness and a smile. She'd
like to make a difference in the health care in this country, feeling
that the U.S. system treats them as consumers rather than caring for
them as humans. To get started, she will research what others are
already doing, find where she could play and create what might not
exist yet.
She notes that legacy has an
element of
passion; it's personal, in your heart, much more spiritual. It
encompasses a sense of generosity, not just in terms of money, and is
something you do absolutely by choice and not by obligation. It's about
being personally involved.
And Myrna says the
optimal time
of life to build your legacy is whenever it works best for you. Her
example is Mattie Stepanek, who died in June of 2004, just three weeks
before his fourteenth birthday. But even in that short time he left
behind the legacy of his Heartsongs, volumes of poems that inspire
about hope, peace and our shared humanity.
-----------------
If
you have or know about a legacy story we should feature, please email
me with the background information, including any links to online sites
where they were featured.
We'd love to consider including
them in our growing list of examples of great personal legacies,
consciously created.
*Names have been changed to
maintain confidentiality
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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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 | Creating Legacy Kit
Pick up a copy at www.CreatingLegacy.com
to help you contemplate, define and plan your own personal legacy. This
fr.ee resource includes a downloadable mp3 audio discussing more about
how you, too, can make a positive difference that lasts. It also
includes our Life And Work After Career guide - a comprehensive
workbook that will give you a holistic view of your own life and what
is important to you. With our compliments!
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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. |
| ©2008-present
by Thrive!! Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
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