Existential Psychology

Legacy

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Most people don’t start giving serious consideration to their legacies until they realize they are nearing the end of their lives. All of a sudden it becomes crystal clear that what will remain once they’re gone is their actions and the effect these actions had on others. For better or worse we stay alive in the hearts and minds of those we leave behind. The real question is whether we want to be remembered as an inspiration or as a cautionary tale.

It’s really too bad that most of us don’t start thinking about our legacies earlier. This is probably due to the mistaken assumption that tomorrow is a foregone conclusion. Many of us secretly believe we will live forever. But the only guarantee is the present moment, everything else is speculation, which is why now is the time to make our thoughts, words, and actions align with who we want to be and who we want others to remember.

We shape our destinies one day at a time and if more people became consciously aware that their actions do matter and are in fact the only part of them that will carry on once they have passed away, they would reevaluate their harmful behaviors, their selfish actions, their jealousies and resentments. We all only get one crack at it, one tiny window of opportunity to define who we are forever. There is no way to know for sure when time will be up, making right now the time to start crafting our legacies.