Ways Your Legacy Affects People
Emotionally – Sometimes all we leave behind are the memories of who we were while we were in this world. Those memories are held by the people we touched in our lifetime. So how have you treated the people around you? Have you wronged people and failed to make amends? As an aging parent, how have you treated children?
Physically – Your health and how you care for yourself says a lot about you as a person. Living a healthy lifestyle is also showing your children and others a blueprint of a good life.
Financially – Have you taught others such as your children how to use or manage money? Will you leave something behind for them to enjoy? Do you want your children and loved ones to have a financial burden because you needed elder care management in your later years? Sometimes people wish to support a cause such as cancer or take part in other worthy causes.
Institutional – Some people spend time founding a non-profit or a business that will be a constructive force in the community.
Intellectually – Teaching values to others and passing along important life lessons can also be part of a legacy. Instructions and wishes; there are things that aren’t lifeless but that will live on after we are gone.
Relationships – How full will your funeral be? Will it be a party of friends and relatives who gather to celebrate your life or a few who just arrive to mourn that you are gone?
Change the World – What are you going to leave behind when you are gone? Everyone changes things in some way, even minor. But do you want to be remembered for doing something small in the world or leaving a big imprint to remind people of something? A college grant, creating a park, or helping the community.
Even if you haven’t considered it before there is still time to focus your legacy. You can decide what you want to pass on and set a plan to make it happen. Think of it as a labor of love and not a chore. Become the type of person that you want to be. Love your legacy and create the legacy you want to leave behind for others.
