Legacies aren't automatic; they are carefully built.

Does the thought of leaving behind a legacy make you feel very small? Oh no, this is not for me, I am not Abraham Lincoln or Albert Einstein or Mother Theresa! Think again. For a change, don't think of such great internationally acclaimed icons of achievement. Think of someone around you – your friend or relative or colleague at the office or your priest, just anyone who is or was a part of your daily life.

What do you instantly remember about him or her? Did he do something good for you or others? Did she create something special that benefited other people? Did they fight some small injustice in the system and change the rules for better?

So you recall that stern old Murphy, your manager at the factory was also a kind and fair boss who was loved and respected by all your co-workers. It strikes you that it was your uncle Jim who led tithe fight to save the old Art Deco cinema house on your street from the wrecking ball and got it registered as a heritage property. And your mother's incredible apple pies are spoken of by every family for three blocks down the road, all because she generously shared her recipe and egged on the young housewives till they perfected the art of the Apple Pie!

There you are…that is legacy! When individuals imprint their deeds in the hearts and mind of people around them, they leave behind a legacy. Now think…what do people recall when they think of you right now? Good stuff? Bad stuff? Sad stuff? Oh, you never gave it a thought, did you? Maybe folks around you don't recall you at all…

Uh oh, that probably makes you feel even smaller than before. But you now know what it means to leave a legacy, and how even the humblest person can leave behind a legacy. So get cracking, bang into the game and start doing YOUR thing – those simple but amazing deeds that will leave behind YOUR legacy.

Be a Famous Grandfather (Or Grandmother)

You have just celebrated your sixtieth birthday and you are feeling as rotten as hell. Why? Because you suddenly realize that you are not going to leave anything valuable or tangible behind. Yes, you know you have been a good son, husband and father, but what about those great legendary stories that are told about certain persons? Will anyone talk about you in proud awe of something great that you did? Are you leaving behind a legacy?

I'm already an old grandfather, you think, what can I do now? Isn't it too late? Come again, you said you are a grandfather, did you? That itself is a much powerful asset.

Have you noticed that many friends around you always talk about their grandparents? Not that their grandmother or grandfather built the Statue of Liberty or something, but just simple things. They talk about when Grandpop took them fishing down at the river and the great time they had. Or the fact that in the bad old days, Grandmother took the pains to collect scraps of cloth from the local tailor and stitched new trousers for them kids!

Are you spending any such quality time with your grandchildren? Are you going on adventures with them, or giving them good advice? Something that they will talk about in hushed tones when remembering their childhood? A daughter pays tribute to the grandfather of her sons in the poem below:

“He loved everyone that's here, and some he never met, a man of patience and kindness, I know we won't forget. My boys loved him dear, with just a bushel and a peck, and never could they leave without a hug around the neck.”
-Mynda Res

You have a vast repertoire of your life experiences that you can share with your grandchildren. You can impart your work skills and your life skills to them, a little every day. They will learn from your mistakes and be inspired by your success and someday they will say – "You know, my grandfather used to say…" That's when you will know deep in your spirit, that you have become a "famous grandfather" and have left behind a great legacy.

Taking Charge of Time

One of the great motivational speakers of this century Rev Billy Graham says – "The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. ...The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time that God has given us each day."

In the words of an anonymous sage – “This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important Because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; In its place is something that you have left behind... Let it be something good."

You have always been concerned about getting value for your money when you go shopping. But are you getting value for the time in your life? Are the hours being squandered away in front of the idiot box? Are days passing away pointlessly? Can you remember what you did three days back?

If you cannot, then you are throwing away the most precious resource of your life. Time is the most important building block of your legacy. Someday you may have a lot of money and people working for you, but you will have run out of time. You can‟t borrow time. No one will lend it to you.

So the moment to start working on your legacy is NOW.

Get off that couch and do one small thing that will stand for you – write a page of prose, reach out to a needy neighbor, send a letter to your local paper about an issue that troubles you, teach the local kids how to play the saxophone, organize a community cleanup, invent a better drinking straw, shoot a video and upload it Steemit…

You are the boss. You call the shots. For every day of your life, demand that you get your fair share of life and its rewards. Give notice that henceforth you have taken charge of your time!

A Sense of Meaning and Purpose

You have everything you need-a nice house, good food, a loving family, a great job atmosphere and good friends. But still a nagging emptiness haunts your life. Clouds of depression still trouble your perfect life. What on earth could be missing from your life?

Stephen R. Covey, one of the most successful New Age gurus completes the picture in this great quote –
“There are certain things that are fundamental to human fulfillment. The essence of these needs is captured in the phrase "to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy." The need to live is our physical need for such things as food, clothing, shelter, economical-well being, and health. The need to love is our social need to relate to other people, to belong, to love and to be loved. The need to learn is our mental need to develop and to grow. And the need to leave a legacy is our spiritual need to have a sense of meaning, purpose, personal congruence and contribution in our life.”

You may notice that the first three needs of Live, Love and Learn are qualities we share to some extent with all animal life on earth. But the fourth quality is uniquely human. Only Man wishes to do something great in his lifetime, something that he or she can leave as a legacy. Only humans seek a "sense of meaning‟ in life. Only humans ask – why am I here? How will I be remembered when I am gone?

One of the greatest benefits you will gain from working consciously and deliberately on your legacy is a sense of meaning and purpose in your life. This brilliant uplifting feeling will quickly sweep away any depressing thoughts of low self esteem. You will be buoyed up by your own deeds and thoughts as you work steadily toward a tangible achievement every day. Throw away your Prozac, the euphoria of living a Legacy is here!

Plant Seeds, Many Seeds

18th century America tells us of a man named Johnny Appleseed who went all over the land planting apple seeds. After he had traveled to the end of his journey, he would return along the same path, tending to the little trees that had grown and plating new ones. A vast network of nurseries and grown trees stands today as the legacy of John Chapman, an American pioneer nurseryman, who came to be known as the legendary John Appleseed.

Johnny Appleseed left behind an estate of over 1,200 acres of valuable nurseries, worth millions even then, and far more now.

Johnny Appleseed Elementary School now stands in Leominster, Massachusetts, his birthplace.

You can start planting seeds today to institute your own legacy.

You can take this lesson literally and start planting seeds and trees in your neighborhood or all over your state. The environment will be richer for your action and the communities around those trees will naturally benefit from them. If you plant an acorn today, you may not live to see it become a giant oak tree, but your descendants and those who take shelter in the shade of that tree will give thanks to you and your legacy.

Or you can take a metaphorical view and start planting the seeds of education in the garden of young minds. Teach young people whatever you know best – a technical skill, moral lessons, share your life skills. Then nurture them regularly by following up and boosting your students to achieve great ideals. Trim their wayward branches and fertilize their roots with continuing advice.

Every great achiever tells of a mentor, someone who educated and inspired them in their lives and careers. You can be that sage in young people's lives. And in time you will be known as Timothy Oaktree or Guitar Greg or Vanessa Vineyard or even Football Fred!

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