THE LEGACY YOU'RE LIVING, NOT THE ONE YOU'RE LEAVING

“Your legacy is not what you leave behind. It’s what you create every day that you live to your fullest.”

August is “What Will Be Your Legacy Month. It’s a dedicated time to reflect on your values, assess your life's impact, and how it can benefit future generations.

Most days, we don't think about how we live. We meet our obligations, paying little attention to what they all really mean.  But the irony of death is that it interrupts routine and, for some, like myself, it stirs up questions such as: “Does my life really reflect what I’ve cared about?”  “What am I doing that will outlast me?"

One day, undertakers will haul my body off to the morgue. When that day comes, I want to be remembered as one who ignited a passion in others to commit to a daily gratitude practice—one that transforms them from the inside out and empowers them to “Be Well” regardless of life’s circumstances. Living this out every day I have left means I can take my last breath knowing my gratitude blessons will live on long after my ashes are scattered into the win.

Not many people on their deathbeds wish they had worked harder or worried more. Most regret things they didn’t do -  like being true to themselves, living more authentically, taking more chances, and spending more time with loved ones.

What about you? What will be your legacy? What are you going to leave the world a better place?  A daily gratitude practice can help you build the legacy you desire. Here are three ways:

Gratitude teaches you to notice the people, moments, and values you actually want your legacy built on.

Gratitude turns ordinary days into consistent acts of legacy-building –you don’t need grand gestures to create a legacy.

Gratitude not only multiplies your blessings; modeling it keeps rippling outward to others.

So why not take August to consciously work on your legacy? Here are three questions to get you started:

1.     If today were your last day, what would you want people to say you spent your life doing? Not your job title — the actual way you showed up for others and for yourself.

2.     Name one value you claim to hold dear. Are your daily actions actually reflecting your values?

3.     If your gratitude, your kindness, or your courage could keep "living" after you're gone — passed down like a blesson to someone else — who would you most want to receive it, and what would you want them to do with it?

Be Grateful; Be Well!

If you need help building our legacy, I’m here to help. Contact me at smallchange@myrtlerussell.com.

For more wellness tips, subscribe to my small change Weekly Wellness Tips at https://www.myrtlerussell.com/contact-us.