Legacy: How Do You Want to Be Remembered?

What we do now echoes in eternity.

Marcus Aurelius

Last weekend we held a memorial service for my father, so I have been pondering the concept of legacy. What people say about you at your memorial service is basically the final version of your personal brand.

In the case of my father, the stories and comments people shared rarely mentioned his achievements (although he accomplished many noteworthy things). Rather they focused on his character and how his actions impacted the lives of the speakers. At the end, my son summarized what had been said about Dad with three character traits that described his legacy: Humility, Excellence, and Diligence.

Not a bad legacy!

What legacy do you want to leave behind?

What will people say at your funeral? What will people remember about you? When others summarize your life in a few words, what will those words be?

If we’re honest, our current personal brand may not be creating the legacy we wish to be remembered for. If that’s true for you, be encouraged. There’s still time to change.

We can start at any age to shift our legacy through intentional choices to do more of the stuff we wish to be known for. We can’t rewrite our entire life history, but we can choose to act today in a way that positively impacts those around us. And then we can choose to do those things again tomorrow.

We may never succeed in changing the perception of certain people who will forever hold a grudge because of that one thing we did (or failed to do). But we can change the perception of others. Those are the people I want you to keep in mind when you answer the questions below.

How do you want to be remembered? A simple exercise to help you create a better legacy

1. Choose five descriptors

Choose five words or phrases that describe character traits you wish to be remembered for. They may or may not be how people would describe you today. The goal is to find suitable words to describe the best version of you, the person you strive to be.

Listen up, all you perfectionists, writers, over-thinkers, and everyone else that will stress over choosing the Five Words That Most Perfectly, Succinctly, and Definitively Describe The Ideal Me. Nobody can be adequately described in five words!

The goal here is to find five qualities that are important enough to work on. You can come back next month and try five more if you want. So pick five “good enough” words and move on.

My example:

Humble, Authentic, Down-to-earth, Creative, Encouraging

2. Why do these qualities matter?

Once you’ve selected your five descriptive words, think about why you chose them. What is it about those character traits that’s important to you? Pinpointing why those particular qualities matter will help you find ways to build more of them into your life.

My Example:

• Humility: I’m emulating my father here. He and I both prefer to work quietly behind the scenes, getting things done reliably and capably without a lot of fanfare.
• Authentic: This is one of the core issues that I write about. I firmly believe that we are all unique, but letting our real, unique self show isn’t easy. It requires vulnerability and courage.
• Down-to-earth: For me, this means being content, unpretentious, easy to get along with, and leaning towards a simple lifestyle. With a healthy sense of humor about my foibles.
• Creative: I have always been drawn to activities that require imagination and creativity. But the older and busier we get, the easier it is to get stuck in a rut. I strive to keep trying new things and to be open to new ideas and activities.
• Encouraging: I may not be the most cheerful, friendly, life-of-the-party person in the room, but I do strive to be someone who speaks positive words into others. I try to look for the potential in others rather than the faults.

I could have chosen other traits, but I’d be satisfied to be remembered for the ones listed here.

3. Choose a next step to get there

Finally, for each of the five descriptors, decide on one small, concrete step you can take this week that will help you embody that character quality. (If you’re feeling particularly clever, you can come up with a goal that combines them.)

My Example:

Your Turn

I hope you will try my three-step process and spend a few minutes pondering what you want to be remembered for. It’s never too late to make a change and grow into a better version of yourself.

I will record a short video of me talking about legacy, which will challenge both the authenticity and creativity traits. See my very imperfect but authentic video at the end of this post.

So why not start today to change tomorrow!