It can be daunting, scary even, to consider the legacy that will be left behind when our life comes to an end.
Pausing long enough to consider in depth, that we will cease to exist at some point, is often avoided. Understandably so. After all, if we are alive today, why would one pause to consider not being here tomorrow?
Why would we want to spend any time, while living, contemplating not living?
If we choose to, we can pause to contemplate the end of our lives for many reasons.
We can pause to consider…
That without death, there can not be life,
Who we want to be when we reach our end,
The ripple effect we want our lives to have,
We can pause to appreciate that life is a process we are all experiencing.
We can look out over our lives now and see how we are wasting precious time and energy.
Often, in western culture (especially), this is labeled as unnecessary or dark. We may put the conversation under the table as ‘something we do not talk about’.
I get it. Having been near death more times than I care to share in this moment, it’s not what I would call an easy conversation.
Understanding that death can be scary, I pose that living only for what is comfortable is a trap. We do not grow when we are always comfortable.
When we live only for comfort, we miss out on an opportunity to experience life in more meaningful ways. Our greatest potential does not come from everything being easy, cozy, and safe.
The value that comes with contemplating our own mortality is a personal experience. I can sit here and talk through the benefits of it. It may sound like ‘blah blah blah’. And for good reason. They are all concepts. For you to value what is available with this clarity, you have to experience it first hand.
Think of building out a startup team. You can read all the books. Listen to all the podcasts. Have the greatest mentors. All well and good, but that does not make you excellent at building a team.
You now have a lot of information, but not a lot of experience. It’s the actual building of the team and operation that gives you the experiential wisdom. Before that, it’s all conceptual.
Another example. Think of riding a bike. You can spend six months reading the best books in the world about how to ride a bike. You can talk with the best riders in the world. Then, when you go get on that bike for the first time. How long do you think it will be before you fall over?
Again, it can be scary to consider the end of our lives, but that doesn’t change how it could benefit our lives, our world.
That doesn’t change the possibility that with clarity…
We could see beyond the day to day to what really matters,
We could make new decisions about the life we are creating,
We could have a greater impact on those around us,
We could enjoy our life more while we still have it.
No matter what you choose as your way of ‘doing’ life, recognize you are, in fact, choosing.
Taking it a step further, I encourage you to consider that legacy is not some far off in the distance concept. Your legacy is right now. The next thought. The next word. The next deed.
Your legacy is now.
Are you clear on what you are creating?
