“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” – Pericles
We live our lives by going through the motions
Day after day, we drink our coffee, complete our assignments, stare at black screens, and repeat the cycle.
And there’s nothing wrong with going through the motions, as it’s necessary for us to be held accountable for our duties when living in a society. However, focusing all of our time on trivial things isn’t the recipe for success, and what I mean when I say success is the legacy we leave behind after our time is up.
Although the interpretation of success is up to the individual, there’s still a pursuit that’s deemed worthwhile universally. Each of us has a desire to “spread our seed” if you will, so we prioritize this goal above all else: the goal of being remembered.
Yet, when it comes to the process of being recognized for something, it’s hard to figure out the best way to go about it. As children, we’re funneled into school systems that prime us to think that the only way to get external validation is by regurgitating facts or scoring touchdowns. Fast forward a little bit, and we’re then conditioned to believe that landing a job at a prestigious company or making a certain amount of money will grant us these feelings of importance we crave so badly.
I’m not against climbing hierarchies or chasing money, as setting and achieving goals is quite enjoyable to me. The only thing is that one dedicating their lives to this corporate system will make them, at the very best, a master at something that has already been done before. Now there’s nothing wrong with being defined by an already existing role, but you’ll always be a cog in the system and nothing more.
So there’s a dilemma in that is it better for one to focus on acquiring roles inside or outside of this predefined system that we’re forced into?
And there’s no right or wrong answer because it could be a combination of both, but when reading the biographies of the people who made the greatest impact on the world, virtually all of them found their way outside of these educational and corporate systems. They didn’t chase money in itself, but instead, they dedicated their lives to solving the problems that were most meaningful to them. They took the road less traveled despite: 1) the backlash from those too afraid to take risks, and 2) the allure of security granted to those who had roles within these systems.
When it comes to the legacy that you want to leave behind, solely aiming to climb the ladders of prestige and status won’t get the job done. This is because nobody talks about these two things at a funeral. No, the eulogy is usually about the person’s character, morals, and impact he or she had on others. The stories told are about embarrassing moments and cherished memories, not job titles or designer clothes.
Legacy has many different forms. It can be family, art, music, entrepreneurship, anything that will continue onwards in spite of one’s death. Some argue that it’s impossible to leave a legacy behind because everything will eventually be forgotten. They say that we’re too insignificant when comparing our size and timeline of existence to that of the universe.
However, what they’re failing to realize is that the smallest of things can have the largest impact. That we’re blessed to have the autonomy to choose how we act regardless of the situation. That due to our innate ability to feel what somebody else is feeling, we’re able to differentiate between what is right and what is wrong.
It’s a common belief that legacy is based on achievements society lays out for us, but it’s often derived from things that go unnoticed.
It could be that the one person you felt like being nice to was planning to commit suicide later that day, but then decided against it after your act of kindness…Okay, maybe it doesn’t have to be that extreme, but I’m sure you can see what I’m trying to get at nonetheless. You don’t have to invent a new operating system or cure cancer to make a difference, but instead, according to Gandhi, simply:
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
To me, legacy is the impact I’m able to have on the lives of others. It’s doing acts of service and expecting nothing in return. It’s turning the darkness from my past into something positive. It’s using my gifts to minimize the net amount of suffering in the world.
What about yourself?
What’s legacy to you?
What do you want yours to be?
The sooner you find out, the better.
JL