What is Your Legacy?

I was recently at a friend’s mom’s funeral and was moved by the eulogy and the remarks made by those at the service.  It struck me as how little was said about the work she did.  Many of us spend most of our lives working when you start to break it down… Begin at age 22 to ~65 (43 years!)

What mattered most was to recount the many memories created over the years with family and friends.  I thought about how I will want to be remembered and spoken about when it is my time… it is definitely more in the lines of kind, generous, always lending a hand, supportive and loving mom, good sense of humor (although I think only I get my sense of humor sometimes), etc…

I know I spent many years burning the candle at both ends to climb the corporate ladder and I have many great memories of those days.  However, when I truly reflect on what is most valuable to me at this point in my life, I now know that I have the power to make choices of how I spend my time.  I can choose to focus on work, as appropriate, as I still get great satisfaction from interacting with my peers and colleagues and making a difference in the world through the work I do.  And I can choose to spend quality time with my family and friends as I love the experiences we create.  Having the mindset of enjoying all aspects of my life in each moment has given me the comfort in knowing I am truly living now, not just going through the motions.  With that, I expect to leave a legacy that will touch many hearts as my friend’s mom’s did.

How do you feel about your legacy so far?  Every moment counts and it is never too late to change how you are spending your time here… it’s up to you to decide how you live now and how you’ll be remembered!