Read and Swing
"You taught me to read Daddy...and to swing."
On the way to dropoff at kindergarten recently, I was thinking about legacy creation. And, on a whim I asked a question into the rearview mirror. The question?
"Son...what are the most important things daddy has ever taught you?"
I'm not sure what caused me to ask the question, and I suppose part of me hesitated to even do so. Fear perhaps? In any case, that part didn't hold me back, and the words were hanging out there, patiently waiting for a response...
Several seconds passed.
And then came his reply.
Quite honestly at first, it begged the internal response...What?, that's it?! If I were to pass now, my lasting legacy would be learning the alphabet and swinging your legs back and forth?!?
Of course, the self-dialogue was purely an internal one and it only lasted a few seconds. But that was the honest first response...disappointment in myself.
Then, with a quick glance into the mirror again,
I gave my son a great big smile.
And, he smiled right back.
The idea of a legacy means so many different things to people. And, the concept of a legacy includes the aura of big expectation. To many, the initial thought of creating a legacy is intimidating...and thus many people shirk their duties to fulfill their life purpose. Our minds actively seek to avoid discomfort, and the very idea of a legacy gins up all sorts of negative perceptions...
Isn't a legacy a boatload of money so that your heirs will be forever wealthy?
Is it a statue of you in the local park?
A charity organization bearing your name?
Is a legacy wrapped up in a gift?
Heirloom dining room furniture?
Land?
Priceless art?
Collectibles?!!
Ask yourself an honest question right now.
Do YOU think legacies are only for the rich? the charitable? the lucky?
If so, I have great news!
Legacies are what lives on in the minds and hearts of your loved ones. Comfort and wisdom they use throughout their lives, consciously or unconsciously of your soul's contributions.
Legacies are not statues and the like. Nor are they measured in gold.
In fact, your legacy is NOT EVEN ABOUT YOU.
Might sound a bit strange at first. Think it through and you'll find the insight to be empowering; you'll also gain enormous freedom and confidence in creating your legacy.
In the language of a 5 year old, my son expressed the greatest lessons from his dad. To read and to swing. To value the combination of learning and playing.
Why my first response of disappointment? Because mentally I was focused on me. It's not how I would have summarized my (hopeful) legacy that morning. Surely, there are dozens of lessons from daddy that are so fantastically complex and bursting with meaning that it'd be impossible to sum them up so darn succinctly!
And therein lies TWO secret lessons...
Your legacy lives not in your mind. But in the minds of others.
And, the most powerful concepts (legacies included) absolutely can be simple as a few words.
Remember this: Whenever you're feeling self-doubt, disappointment, fear, anguish, embarrassment, anxiety, inferiority or any other negative emotion about where you stand today in your life goals...it's a clear signal that you are thinking about them all wrong.
Free yourself. Clear yourself out of the way. Then create your legacy!
"You taught me to read and to swing Daddy."
Work hard. Play hard. Is not the secret to a fulfilling life to find a balance of the two? These are the thoughts, the simple concepts, the emotional connections in my son that would outlive me should I pass today.
(Smiling) Yes...this could be a powerful legacy indeed.
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