( Joodie Shy )

I may also have titled this post “How to Earn Brownie Points with Anyone,” because we all love to be seen and heard for who we really are. My main reason for writing however is that I needed to add some thoughts to my previous post on legacy. This goal is loftier than gaining brownie points or quick fame.

I will highlight what I think is the most important guideline to a great legacy –
Your relationships must be fiercely honest and varied.

(That is, if you’re out to create a positive and long-lasting legacy for yourself. I’m going to assume that you are for the sake of this article.)

Honest

Why do the need to be so honest? You already know why, we can feel when we trust someone and we can also feel when we don’t. It’s a combination of that gut reaction we all get and careful observation in conversation. Is it like talking to a wall? Or a broken record? Do you know what they love, or just what they hate? (It’s easier for us to share things we hate/loathe/detest because whining is generally very acceptable form of ‘conversation’.) It can be hard to express our love for things to other people. Sometimes it just feels very personal.

I’ll use myself as an example; I really love the web and this whole blogging world. I spend endless hours reading about developing good articles, site design, optimization, social media and anything web related. But I don’t really share this with anyone in my day-to-day life. Because I know they don’t share the same love or understand, I usually just leave it out of conversation. But this leaves both myself and others with a lack of honesty.

You can’t help someone build a legacy if you don’t even know what it is! So do your friends a favor and stop whining about the things you’ll be happy to leave behind on this earth (parking tickets, mosquitos, whatever) and share what you’d love to have in your life forever.

To put it simply, all those things you complained about won’t bother you (or your friends) when you’re gone. But the effort and love you put in to things will last. It will leave impressions. Building blocks for your legacy.

Varied

Image by khalid almasoud via Flickr

What’s so special about variety? Picture a persons legacy as a stack of blocks, building on top of one another (like the pyramids in Egypt- mega legacy building there in a scary literal sense of the word). Every person you have a genuine connection with helps shape your blocks (circles, stars, whatever!) In return, you shape theirs aswell. It works symbiotically, and no other way. You can’t fake quality interconnection. And trying to shape all your blocks alone leads to burnout and an incomplete legacy. Nobody builds a monument by themselves.

That’s why we need people. It’s a basic thing. Loners and socialites alike, if we never share anything honest or genuine our legacies will be, well… nonexistent.

So take pride in the building process. Build whatever shaped/sized/colored legacy you want! It doesn’t have to be big to matter, nor need it be perfect. Legacies are built on BOTH successes and failures from our lives. The ups and downs. All of it contributes to the creation process, the building. Make decisions you are proud of now, and you can rest assured your legacy will be recognized with honor and integrity.

In the end, everything is decided by the relationships you create with others. Stick with honesty and seek variety. Be genuine, build upwards, be remembered.

Besides, everyone likes knowing they had a hand in helping cultivate a genuine, honest life.

Related article: How Travel Boosts The Momentum of Your Legacy and Offers Eternal Life

Tags: life, relationships, social networking