You Made Me Want To Be A Better Person

leg·a·cy: something handed down from an ancestor or a predecessor or from the past.

I've been thinking about legacy. In Mens Fraternity this past year we developed a list called, Before I Die I Want To. We listed things in six categories - be, do, have, help, enjoy, and leave.

So, what do I want to leave? How much time do I have to work with? Certainly it's not my stuff that my family will want. As a matter of fact, we're in a pitch mode right now. We are shedding things so that the stuff of life doesn't hinder us or get in the way of the new things God has for us.

I like what James Kouzes and Barry Posner have to say in their book, A Leader's Legacy.

"By asking ourselves how we want to be remembered, we plant the seeds for living our lives as if we matter."

"When we move on, people do not remember us for what we do for ourselves. They remember us for what we do for them. Exemplary leaders are interested more in others’ success than in their own. Their greatest achievements are the triumphs of those they serve."

"What if all leaders started each day asking themselves, “In every interaction today, considering all the people I interact with, what one thing can I do to make them better?’ When the time comes for them to speak of your legacy, is there anything better to be remembered for than “You made me want to be a better person”?

"Our challenge is to stay focused on the difference we want to make, why we think it’s essential to be moving in that direction, and on the people who will come after us to inherit what we leave. If we stay focused on the difference and the people, the legacy will take care of itself. When we choose to lead every day, we choose to serve. Leading is not about what we gain from others but about what others gain from us"

"Legacies aren’t the result of wishful thinking. They’re the result of determined doing. The legacy you leave is the life you lead. We lead our lives daily. We leave our legacy daily. The people you see, the decisions you make, the actions you take – they are what tell your story. It’s the sum of everything you do that matters, not one large bequest at the end of you tenure."

I like that. Legacies are the result of determined doing. If I stay focused on the difference and people, my legacy will take care of itself. So tomorrow I have the opportunity to do good, to serve others and to write another chapter in my legacy story. What will I write? And at the end of the day, will anyone say, "You made me want to be a better person?"