=====================================================================

You may be wondering why I picked this topic during the Christmas season.  It’s because few people ever consider that every day they are on this Earth they are developing their legacy story.  As January approaches and you begin thinking about your New Year Resolutions contemplate the legacy you are currently creating.

A legacy is all the things you leave behind when you die: your possessions, finances, reputation, and most importantly the memories of those who knew you. Those people will be telling the story of HOW you lived your life while you were on this Earth to everyone around them.

If you were to look forward to the end of your life, what kind of legacy are you currently creating? Imagine being at your funeral, hearing your eulogy, and listening to all the conversations of everyone that attended. Now ask yourself, “Would I have any major regrets about how I lived my life?” If you had to guess, how would the people at your funeral remember you? Would they be swapping stories about how you made an impact on their life? Would they be talking about all the great places you had visited? Would they remember your laughter and easy-going attitude, despite the regular chaos of life?

No one knows for sure what people will say about them at their funeral. However, if you live your life to the fullest every day and strategically plan for your future, you will be more apt to become the person you want to be and achieve many of the things you want to do within your lifetime. But for that to happen you have to know what kind of legacy you want to create!  

Below is an exercise I created to help my clients take the first step towards creating the legacy they desire to leave behind.  Take some time over the next few days to complete this exercise.  If you don’t know how to begin, feel free to give me a call at 404-551-3601 and I’ll be glad to take a few minutes to help you.  I also have a more detailed coaching program if you are interested:  Creating Your Legacy – A Strategy Program.   If you are not yet ready for a full-blown coaching program, you can schedule a single “2010 – Roadmap to Win Strategy Session” with no money up front.  It’s only $1.00 to hold your timeslot and you don’t have to pay for the meeting afterwards unless you felt it was a valuable use of your time (Seriously!!  I will only charge your credit card after the meeting if you say I can).

=====================================================================

“Begin Planning for the Life You Want” Exercise

Imagine that you are taking a walk in the park by yourself and out of the blue you hear a voice call your name. After looking around, but not seeing anyone you continue on – cautiously, but with a higher degree of awareness of what’s going on around you. A few seconds later you hear the voice again, followed by a flash of light. When you get your eyesight back you are on the top of a mountain with an Angel. After the shock wears off, you ask the Angel why you are here. He turns to you and says, “{your name here}, God has granted you the opportunity to stay on earth for a short while after you die to be with your loved ones during your funeral. They will not know you are there, but you will have the amazing privilege of being able to hear how they perceived your life by listening to the things they say and the stories they tell. God wants you to know this now so that you can begin creating your legacy today in preparation for the moment of your death.”

You are stunned and ask the Angel, “When will I die?” The angel replies, “I do not know. My role today is purely to inform you about your extended time on earth so you aren’t wondering why your soul is still here even though your body has died. In just a minute you will see another flash of light and then you will be back on the path where I met you. In your left pocket is a stone with the word “choice” on it [you quickly check your pocket, feel the stone, pull it out and smile]. This stone will be proof that our conversation happened, and will act as a reminder that you have the ability to create the legacy you want. From today forward, the possibilities of what your life could be are endless, as long as you are willing to invest in your life to make them happen.” The Angel then touches your shoulder, you see a flash of light, and a moment later you are back on the path in the park.

You step forward in amazement and look for a bench in order to understand what just happened. You then remember the stone, and reach into your pocket….it is still there just as the Angel promised. You are overjoyed and yet scared with the responsibility placed before you. Then you hear a whisper on the wind that says, “{Your Name Here}, the power to create your legacy has always resided inside you. Our meeting today just allowed that power to become real for you. Go forth, my child, and enjoy your life. I look forward to seeing you again on the other side.” You smile brightly and walk swiftly to your car filled with excitement about the life you plan on creating!

————————————————————————————————–

Take some time this week to write a letter to yourself which represents the legacy you will have created by your 100th birthday. This letter should be written in the past tense as if already achieved, and include insights, milestones, a description of the person you have become, attitudes, feelings, world perspective, personal identity and reputation, the places you’ve visited, and the biggest contribution you made during your life, etc. Go into great detail, using as many of your five senses as you can in your descriptions. Tell the story of what happened and how your life affected everyone around you.

Letter to Self Which Describes the Legacy I Plan on
Achieving by my 100th Birthday

=====================================================================

I hope you enjoyed the story and the exercise above.  As I said earlier, feel free to contact me if you have any difficulties completing the “Begin Planning The Life You Want” exercise.

Enjoy the rest of your day, and don’t forget to keep your eyes open for all the amazing possibilities within and around you!

Sincerely,

Kris Cavanaugh
C.E.O. Catalyst & Life Coach

www.begintoshift.com
 
Kris Cavanaugh is the “C.E.O. Catalyst.”  Her background includes over 20 years of experience training and mentoring individuals.  She believes the key to a successful life begins with a person’s ability to manage thier life in the same way a C.E.O. manages a company.  Kris is an expert strategist with an amazing ability to pull her clients through difficult challenges to obtain the life they truly want.  Her company, Shift,  specializes in helping people who are feeling stuck or overwhelmed take back control of their entire life through cultivating a C.E.O. mindset so their businesses, organizations, departments, and personal lives thrive!  To learn how to recieve Kris’ E-Book at no charge, click here:  “Living Your Life On Purpose – Three Powerful Steps to Achieve a Thriving Quality of Life.” 

23 thoughts on “Are You Comfortable With The Legacy You Are Creating?”

  1. Have you ever considered adding some videos to your blog posts to keep us readers more entertained? I mean I just read through the entire article of yours and it was quite good but since I’m more of a visual learner, I find videos appealing. Maybe something to test?

  2. Say thanks for present pretty wonderful informations. Your web is awesome, I am satisfied by the details that you have on this weblog. It shows how nicely you appreciate this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back again for a whole lot more. You, my good friend, I observed just the specifics I currently explored in all places and just couldn’t identify. What an ideal internet site. Like this web site your web site is a single of my new faves.I such as this data shown and it has provided me some type of idea to possess accomplishment for some explanation, so hold up the decent work!

  3. Good blog! I genuinely love how it’s easy on my eyes and also the details are well written. I am wondering how I might be notified whenever a new post has been made. I have subscribed to your rss feed which must do the trick! Have a nice day!

  4. I can see that you are an expert at your field! I am launching a website soon, and your information will be very useful for me.. Thanks for all your help and wishing you all the success in your business.

  5. Salut!, This page is high-quality and so is how the subject was written about. I like some of the comments also even though I would suggest we all stay on the suject to add value to the message. It will be also encouraging to the one who penned it down if we all could make mention of it (for some of us who use bookmarking services such as a reddit, twitter,..). Thanks again.

  6. Hello i try to open your blog in safari and its looks funny, i tink that the problem is from your hosting ,or maybe from me but still you have a nice setup for the ads, i writing in this post because you will see it when you are validating comments, Keep up the good work Andrei from Romania

  7. Many thanks for this method fine writing; this is the variety of advantage that keeps me though out the day.I have been recently searching close to for your web site immediately after I learned about them from a good friend and was delighted when I was in a position to locate it soon after seeking for some time. Becoming a experienced blogger, I’m delighted to view other folks taking effort and adding to towards the neighborhood. I just needed to review to exhibit my admiration to your post as it is rather inviting, and many freelancers do not get the credit score they should have. I am confident I’ll be back and will send out a few of my friends.

  8. I thought i’d distribute and let you know your websites is helpful for discovered the practical solution.I honestly adore your blog.Correctly, the post is in reason the most effective on this really worth although subject. I concur along with your conclusions and will eagerly look forward to your coming messages. Absolutely saying thanks won’t just be enough, for your awesome lucidity in your own authoring. I will quickly pick up your rss feed to remain updated of any updates.True efforts and a lot achievements within your do the trick and small business interests.In any case maintain up the good perform.Thanks a lot.

  9. Hey there. I just simply did some net browsing and discovered this website. I proceeded to go through this website put up and it is really incredible.I really actually take pleasure in your web site.Perfectly, the piece of posting is in certainty the very greatest on this genuinely really worth though topic. I book marked it and i’m searching forward to your future web site content articles. I also seen that your blog site has some very good linking performed to it. I will appropriate apart consider hold of the rss feed to remain knowledgeable of any up-dates. Wonderful data you obtained right here.Satisfy hold bring up to date in your excellent post.Thanks a lot.

Comments are closed.

Archives