As a coach, I have a lot of conversations with people about the legacy they want to leave behind. I have found that it doesn’t matter if you’re in your golden years or a newbie on the professional block, the notion of legacy is permeating all our minds right now.
Questions like: How do you want to be remembered? What impact do you want to have on the world? Are commonly part of discussions about legacies.
However, a legacy is something that happens with or without intentionality. Either way, our actions and behaviors are leaving an impression on the world like handprints in wet concrete. As we decide to be more intentional about our impacts and legacies I find that there are a few important questions that are missing from these conversations.
We are all already a part of the legacy of our ancestors! Not to mention the legacies of the institutions that shape and define us. Sometimes this is a positive experience. Naming my business after my Grandmother is a way for me to carry the torch and serves as a reminder for me to embody her teachings in my day-to-day.
A legacy is something that happens with or without intentionality. Either way, our actions and behaviors are leaving an impression on the world like handprints in wet concrete.
My maternal Grandmother taught me values like perseverance, handwork, compassion and financial responsibility. She also had a positive disposition that was contagious and saw the beauty in everything. Honoring her legacy inspires me to carry on with integrity when the days are difficult. And gives me strength as she laid a solid foundation for me to build upon.
Other times, we inherit legacies that are wrought with pain or regret. When this happens we are faced with a choice. Carry it forward, bury it or transform from it. Other ancestors of mine left behind more complicated legacies. Their stories are filled with addiction, abuse and incarceration. I want such a legacy to stop with my generation, and have found that I needed to heal myself from the generational trauma that I inherited in order to end the cycle.
Whether your prominent inherited legacy is positive and inspiring, painful and regrettable, or a mix as mine is; I find it helps to consider these past experiences as you shape your future self. Intentionally crafting your legacy is about connecting your life with something bigger then yourself. Indeed, by acknowledging your inherited legacies you will find that you already are a part of something bigger!
Here are four reflection questions to help you architect your legacy.
What legacies are you already a part of?
What parts of your inherited legacies do you want to maintain?
What parts of your inherited legacies do you want to change?
What needs to change about the way you’re showing up so you’re crafting the legacy you want?
What’s Rosabella Consulting Up To?
We have been working on some fun projects lately, one of which has been to co-create a new training program with an international company that’s transitioning from a startup to a scale-up. This work integrates so may important efforts including culture crafting, systematization, professional development, team building and leadership development. And that’s the beauty of our Co-Creating Processes; we are able to integrate so many traditionally separate efforts into one highly efficient and effective process!
Join Us!
We have a number of exciting events coming up and you’re invited to join in the fun! Below is a list of the events. Check them out and say hi to Ariana:
FREE! 2/19 – Communicate With Impact: How to Fix the 7 Mistakes Entrepreneur’s Make that Shut People Down. 5-7pm at Clearview Library, Windsor, CO
FREE! 2/28 – The Brain Crawl. 9am-noon at the Innosphere, Fort Collins, CO
FREE! 2/28 – The Neuroscience of Trust: What Every Entrepreneur Needs to Do. 1pm at Innosphere, Fort Collins, CO
FREE! 3/4 – The Neuroscience of Conversation: What Every Woman Needs to Know. 11:30am-1pm at She Leads, Fort Collins, CO
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