Planning a Legacy
By Jeron Bro
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To me, there are three steps to planning a legacy: reflective thinking, prioritization and living. I believe that when a person answers life-questions, schedules their priorities, and takes action they live intentionally. Here are a few factors that we can’t ignore:
We aren’t promised tomorrow.
We’re not perfect.
Things change.
So, how does this planning a legacy work…exactly?
Self – Discovery (values, personality, skills, weakness) - I encourage friends to buy a dollar store journal and answer a few questions about values, personality, and character traits.
- What legacy do you want to leave in the world (or who do you want to become before you die?)
- Who do you want to leave a legacy for? (Family, community, field of work?)
- What are your personality traits? (what are your strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes?)
- What are your talents and skills? (career ideas, job qualifications, etc.)
Prioritization – Next, you’ll want to put your steps in order.
What needs to be done first? For example, you can’t live tomorrow…if you aren’t alive tomorrow. You need to drive safely, eat a certain way, live a certain life in order to see your future. Do you have children? You have to change a diaper? Do you have a spouse? You need to care for them and live with them. Figure out what’s important and take it a step at a time. (Note: this may take 10+ years! But, it’s part of the process of living a legacy without regret.)
Faithfulness
Be faithful to the life you’ve planned. Let New Years celebration remind you to revisit your life-vision. Take it one day at a time. When you accomplish something, celebrate and put it in a photo album…or on the wall! When you face discouragement, stay faithful. If things need updating, update them. One day, you’ll look back and say…I did this intentionally.