Today, we are going to be talking about the idea of creating a legacy. This applies to you if you’re feeling like things aren’t going right or you don’t feel good about what you’re doing. It also applies to you if you’re trying to get your business off the ground but you’re struggling or feeling like you aren’t making a difference.
Even though so many people think you need to do something gigantic in order to create a legacy (I was one of those people!), I’m here to tell you that’s just not the case.
Last week, I was at an event with one of my mentors and we talked a lot about creating a legacy and where that drive really comes from. Becoming super rich or famous is not necessarily going to create a legacy for you.
Creating your legacy comes from the lives that you impact each and every day.
There are so many tiny things you can do in absolutely every moment.
One way we can really show up and make a difference is to be that person who in every moment of every day (whether in everyday life or in your business), does little things to help others or impact the lives of others.
For years, I’ve been practicing little things like this.
If I’m splitting something with someone else, I give the other person more of the portion than what I take for myself. I ask store clerks how their day is going (sometimes they look at me like I have three heads!). I smile at people I pass on the street. If you take notice, a lot of people are looking down and don’t make eye contact. For me, it’s always been a thing where I say “Hi” and smile (yes, even to strangers!)!
These little things build up and make a difference over time – just like the idea of paying it forward.
When you’re sharing, share more of what you have. When you’re helping someone, help more. Go the extra mile for your clients. Ask how their day is – and smile!
In our businesses, we show up every day. We’re blogging every day, sending emails, posting on social media, planning our day out. The more we keep putting ourselves out there with the intention that we just want to help someone else (instead of the intention to ‘create our legacy’), the more people will start to see us. You’ll become known for being the happy person or the helpful person or the XYZ person.
There are so many wealthy people out there but think of someone like Oprah or Warren Buffet – they showed up every single day and they focused more on the impact they wanted to make on people’s lives. Mother Teresa made a GIGANTIC impact in this world and in history but that wasn’t her focus. Her intention was to impact and improve the lives of others. She created her legacy in the way she showed up every day.
So often, we get too focused on the fame and fortune pieces. Sure, that might work for some people but for me, I want to be a difference maker. I would rather impact the lives of business owners to get them to move their business forward, faster and have them feel fulfilled and happy. I would rather focus on THAT than focus on making millions of dollars.
Some people have financial goals and others have impact goals. I follow my impact goals, changing lives and making the world a better place. For me, the legacy I want to create is teaching people how to have more positive connection, interaction and communication. If we can do that, we can make the world a better place which is what a legacy does!
When we start from within and start with sharing a smile every day, it brings a human factor back into play. We want to focus on treating people amazingly and sharing our gifts with others to help them.
Especially with social media, it’s so easy to look at what everyone else has. That blurs our focus so we have to get grounded and remember to create our legacy through small actions every day. Small, kind gestures end up having a ripple effect and will expand to touch more people than you can even imagine.
Of course, making a million dollars is not a bad thing. I’d like to make a million dollars, too! But I’m going to focus more on how I can impact the lives of others instead of just focusing on my bank account. The money will follow.
Ultimately, we can create a better world by starting small.
Hope you have an amazing rest of your day!
Theresa
