Sunday, February 05, 2012
Call Rob now on +44 (0)115 846 2127RSS Feed

Leaving a Lasting Legacy

What do people say about you when you're out of the room? More importantly, what will they say about you when you're out of their lives? Here's my best insight into leaving a legacy of influence and significance. Leaving a legacy is one of the ten benefits of building a strong reputation. If you want to know what the other nine benefits are, read my book ‘How to Build Your Reputation – The Secrets of Becoming the ‘Go To’ Professional in a Crowded Marketplace’.

So if you care enough  to wonder what kind of a legacy you're creating, here are five tough questions to consider:

  1. Just how many lives are you touching?
  2. What lasting impressions are you making with people?
  3. Ultimately, what will people say about you when you are gone?
  4. What abiding memories will you leave people with?
  5. What will be your legacy?
"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments,
but what is woven into the lives of others."
Pericles

This is what I call the domain of 'future reputation'. It addresses the question 'what do I want to be known for in years to come?' as opposed to 'what do I want to be known for now?'

'Future reputation' helps you to decide what mark you will leave in your company, your family and your community at the end of your life.

When you’re gone, you can no longer control your reputation. But it doesn't mean you don't have one! Some examples:

  • Linda McCartney, the late wife of Paul and a famous vegetarian, still has a line of frozen foods at your local supermarket.
  • Robert Ludlum, well-known deceased thriller writer, has a new novel out this year!
  • The Disney legacy lives on.
  • Dale Carnegie’s work lives on.
  • Every year, hundreds of 'look-a-like' fans gather to commemorate the lives of people like Ernest Hemingway and Elvis Presley.
  • Most of the professional services firms in the world still carry the names of long dead partners.
  • Many retail moguls like JC Penney and Marks & Spencers have passed on, but their stores live on.

The old saying that it's amazing how much you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit certainly applies to leaving a legacy!

“Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now?
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.”
Billy Graham

Rob's Quick Tips

To leave a legacy later means you must already be living one! So what are you doing today to make your life be remembered tomorrow? Some ideas...
  • Think how you can start making a difference in someone’s life.
  • Be remembered for making the world a better place.
  • Make your contribution to the world and to your vision or cause a strong and valuable one.
  • Be specific about what you want to impress upon the world. You can do anything but you can't do everything.
  • Think about what you’re doing for others.
  • Think about how you can make someone else’s life better.
  • Ask yourself what you’re doing here? If you can't come up with an answer, then like a ship without a rudder, you could be lacking a purpose, a vision, a life goal.
  • Become a leader by becoming influential. Show the right way in an inspirational way.

So how are you going to begin planning what your legacy will be and how you and what you did will be remembered in hundreds and thousands of years?

© Rob Brown 2009. All Rights Reserved. To publish or reprint any Rob Brown article, the following must be included:

Rob Brown is one of the UK's leading authorities on business networking and referrals. He is an inspirational conference speaker and author of over 40 publications, including Amazon best-seller How To Build Your Reputation. Go to www.rob-brown.com for your free 60 page copy of ‘The 13 Commandments of Turning Relationships Into Profits', or get in touch on (44) 115 846 21227 or rob@rob-brown.com for details of his motivational presentations, business winning programmes and relationship-building resources.