Daily Awareness for Leaving a Powerful Legacy and Imprint in this Life
Each day our actions and words create a ripple effect in this world. Have you ever taken a moment to consider the imprint you’re making on the world, and how you will have impacted it and others when you’re gone? What would others share about you at your funeral? For some this is uncomfortable to think about, however these questions create important insights you can embrace now for a more meaningful life that touches others. Daily awareness is a tool that will help you leave a powerful legacy in life.
Someone whose impact has a lasting positive effect is one who has lived life recognizing and aligning with the fact that their impact is directly tied to how their actions and words affect others, and how others feel in their interactions. You have the choice to use words and actions that bring out the best in others, lift them up, and make them feel good.
It’s common to feel as if each day is mundane and traverse through your day-to-day life on autopilot, thinking what we say and do is unnoticed and not felt by those around us. What if the opposite is true? There is an abundance of interpersonal energy shared between us, which is not only felt, but stored within us.
Consider your feelings when someone shares a story about a person who is no longer here, or when a friend shares a story about you. What details did the person telling the story recall? What was the significance of the story, what emotions were they feeling, and why did that moment stay with them as a memory? Notice how you feel hearing such stories from others. Are there details you would change, and would you adjust anything if you could go back in time?
Set an intention each day to be mindful of how you affect others and the impact you leave behind. When others feel more connected to you and share stories that make them proud, or happy, you’re on your way to leaving behind a meaningful legacy!
Moment of Introspection & Leadership:
I learned a lot about legacies when I attended my dad’s funeral. I loved my dad very much, and in some ways felt as if my family and I were the only ones who shared this love with him. That day, I quickly learned that a large number of people also felt that love as they arrived to pay their respects and offer stories of their friendships and relationships with him. This caused me to see that my dad shared his humbleness with everyone around him; he was a man of service, and observing the incredible amount of people he impacted is something I will carry in my heart forever. As his friends and associates formed a line to salute his casket as we walked by, I made a promise to my dad and to myself that I will always do my best to make decisions moving forward that impact others the way I’ve witnessed him impact the world.
This experience still causes me to reflect each night about the imprint I’m making on the world and others. It made me consider what people will say when I’m gone. Daily reflection is a tool that gives me the awareness to stay true to this promise I made to my dad. How will you broaden your awareness and consider your imprint on others and the world?
“It is the little things over time that make the big moments in our lives. And the things we do consistently are what we become known for…”
— Drea Hemmer
REFLECTIVE & DISCOVERY QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHTS & JOURNALING
What impact do you hope to leave in this world?
What can you do today to support that impact?
FOR YOUR TEAM DAILY HUDDLE
How do we, as a team, hope to be remembered?