What will your legacy be? (2)

The story is told of a hypochondriac whose tombstone read: “Now maybe you’ll believe I was sick.” Seriously, what would you like your grave marker to say about you? In Walden, Henry David Thoreau voiced his concern that when it came time to die, he would discover he had never fully lived. When it comes to your legacy, here are two things you need to keep in mind: (1) Nobody will care about the legacy you leave as much as you do. So be intentional when you decide on your legacy; that way, you greatly increase the odds of making an impact on the next generation. (2) The sum of how you live your life each day becomes your legacy. Tally each action over many years, and you can see your legacy begin to take shape. In Inspiration and Ideals, Grenville Kleiser wrote, “Your life is like a book. The title page is your name. The preface is your introduction to the world. The pages are a daily chronicle of your efforts, trials, pleasures, discouragements, ambitions, and achievements…Day by day your thoughts and acts are being inscribed as evidence of your success or failure…Hour by hour the record is being made which must stand for all time. One day the word Finis must be written. Let it then be said of your book that it is a record of noble purpose, generous service, and work well done.” Most of us don’t get to choose when or how we’re going to die, but we all get to decide how we’re going to live. And that’s the legacy we leave to those who follow us.