{"id":1965,"date":"2020-08-12T17:11:23","date_gmt":"2020-08-12T17:11:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/?p=1965"},"modified":"2020-08-12T17:11:23","modified_gmt":"2020-08-12T17:11:23","slug":"creating-a-great-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2020\/08\/creating-a-great-legacy.html","title":{"rendered":"Creating a Great Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"legacy\"<\/a>
Photo by Marina Utrabo from Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This past weekend, I attended a virtual birthday party for a lady who just turned 90.\u00a0 Over 100 people were on a Zoom call to celebrate her.\u00a0 The party went on for two-and-a-half hours with a full church service, complete with a sermon and lovely remembrance videos.\u00a0 All I could think during the call was, \u201cWow.\u00a0 What an incredible legacy she has left.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, let me tell you something.\u00a0 This nonagenarian isn\u2019t famous.\u00a0 I doubt her name has ever been in the newspaper.\u00a0 During her life, she hasn\u2019t earned large sums of money, nor has she achieved great professional success.<\/p>\n

Instead, she has spent her life touching hearts.\u00a0 So, many people thanked her for praying for them and with them<\/em>.\u00a0 One person remarked, \u201cI\u2019ve never heard her say an unkind word about anyone.\u201d\u00a0 Over the years, if folks had a problem, they would call her and talk to her.\u00a0 If you spend 90 years just being kind, you end up positively impacting a lot of people.<\/p>\n

So often, when we talk about legacies, we are speaking about the rich and the famous.\u00a0 But does fame and fortune really matter at the end of the day?\u00a0 Perhaps fame may make a person\u2019s life more interesting.\u00a0 And certainly, fortune can make our lives more comfortable.<\/p>\n

But when it comes to our impact on this earth, I would argue that our worldly accomplishments are insignificant compared to our one-to-one interactions with other human beings.<\/p>\n

For example, presidents on occasion give inspirational speeches.\u00a0 We all remember the words of John F. Kennedy, when he said, \u201cAsk not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.\u201d\u00a0 Powerful words.<\/p>\n

But President Kennedy\u2019s words aren\u2019t nearly as powerful to me as the example set by one of my church members.\u00a0 This gentleman drives a developmentally delayed man to church every Sunday morning.\u00a0 That is a real service<\/em> to others.\u00a0 Not just words.<\/p>\n

We all want to leave a positive legacy.\u00a0 Unfortunately, our vision at times can be short-sighted.\u00a0 We become concerned about what we want in this moment.\u00a0 We don\u2019t think about our long-term impact on others and the world.<\/p>\n

Below are some ways to approach your life so that you leave behind the best legacy possible.<\/p>\n

Hold Yourself to a Higher Standard<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We live in a world in which many people set low standards for themselves.\u00a0 If they think no one is looking, they are rude and cruel to others.\u00a0 They don\u2019t pay their debts or meet their personal obligations, if they can get away with it.<\/p>\n

If you wish to leave a great legacy, you need to set a high standard of behavior for yourself.\u00a0 And the only way to do that is to regularly ask yourself the following question: Would I act this way if the whole world was watching?<\/p>\n

The reality is that we all tend to put a good face on in public.\u00a0 However, people of high morals and ethics act exactly the same<\/em> in private.\u00a0 So, choose to hold yourself to a high standard no matter who is looking.<\/p>\n

For instance, when you send an email, ask yourself, \u201cWould I be OK if this email was forwarded to all my friends and family members?\u201d\u00a0 If not, don\u2019t send it.\u00a0 When you do or say anything, consider whether you would be OK if everyone knew about it.\u00a0 If not, don\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n

When you die, you want to have lived your life at the highest standard.\u00a0 Of course, none of us does everything perfectly.\u00a0 We all make mistakes. \u00a0We all do and say things that we later regret.\u00a0 But if you try to hold yourself to a higher standard, you ultimately will have a more positive effect on those around you and the world at large.\u00a0 And your legacy will be the best one possible.<\/p>\n

Live A Life of Service<\/strong><\/h3>\n

You cannot impact the world positively if you live only for yourself.\u00a0 Of course, you probably can have a pretty nice life if you focus solely on yourself.\u00a0 You\u2019ll have nice things and take great vacations.\u00a0 And you will have a healthy bank account.\u00a0 But your legacy will be one of selfishness.<\/p>\n

By living a life of service, your life will have a positive impact on the world.\u00a0 Of course, our primary (and most important) obligation is to serve our immediate families.\u00a0 I can tell you that without fail, every day, I do something to serve my husband and my daughter.\u00a0 Serving them is a part of my life, from doing laundry, to making dinner, to simply offering words of encouragement.<\/p>\n

But if we really want to leave a larger legacy, then our acts of service need to extend beyond our immediate families.\u00a0 We need to serve our extended family, such as our parents.\u00a0 We also need to serve our friends, neighbors and even strangers.<\/p>\n

When we live a life of service, we make a personal decision to impact the world in positive ways.\u00a0 That kind of life doesn\u2019t just happen.\u00a0 You have to be intentional about it.\u00a0 Each day, you have to think of ways to serve, encourage and be kind to others.\u00a0 If you do, your legacy will be one of changing the world for the better.<\/p>\n

Be Kind at All Times<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Being consistently kind sounds simple, but it actually is quite difficult.\u00a0 It is human nature to lash out when we are upset.\u00a0 As humans, we tend to be impulsive.\u00a0 We do and say things without considering the consequences.\u00a0 As a result, to be kind all the time is surprisingly hard.<\/p>\n

It takes a great deal of maturity and self-control to be kind no matter what it going on around you.\u00a0 I will admit, there have been many times in my life when a very nasty comment was on the tip of my tongue.\u00a0 I have the ability to be quite cruel.\u00a0 But I don\u2019t act on those instincts.\u00a0 That is because my priority is to be kind no matter what.<\/p>\n

If you commit to being kind, regardless of the circumstances, it will be uncomfortable at times.\u00a0 You will have to tolerate unfortunate behavior from others without responding in kind.\u00a0\u00a0For example, I\u2019ve bitten my tongue when I\u2019ve received obnoxious emails.\u00a0 And I\u2019ve operated with self-control when those around me were rude and insulting.\u00a0 I\u2019ll admit doing so has been uncomfortable.\u00a0 My gut instinct is to fire back at people.\u00a0 But my ultimately goal is to leave a legacy that I can be proud of.\u00a0 I want to be remembered as someone who consistently encouraged, loved and supported others.\u00a0 Period.<\/p>\n

Creating a great legacy doesn\u2019t just happen.\u00a0 It takes work. \u00a0It requires us to be intentionally kind and generous toward others, no matter what the circumstances.\u00a0 Committing to that kind of life isn\u2019t easy.\u00a0 But if you work at your legacy, hopefully, when you are 90, your life will be considered a benefit to this earth and an inspiration to others.<\/p>\n

Email: meerabelle@meerabelledey.com<\/p>\n

If you would like to receive my Free E-Book, “The Confidence Course,” and sign up for my weekly newsletter, go to meerabelledey.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This past weekend, I attended a virtual birthday party for a lady who just turned 90.\u00a0 Over 100 people were on a Zoom call to celebrate her.\u00a0 The party went on for two-and-a-half hours with a full church service, complete with a sermon and lovely remembrance videos.\u00a0 All I could think during the call was,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nCreating a Great Legacy - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We all want to live a life that matters and positively impacts the world. 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