Wouldn’t it be wonderful to leave something behind after we’re gone? Something that meant we were remembered and would be thought of often and fondly? That’s something more people are going to be interested in doing, and it’s what’s known as building a legacy – you’ll want something to go on after you even when you’re no longer here.
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Guide to Building a Legacy
So just what goes into building a legacy? What do you need to do to make sure you get it right? That’s a good question, and although the finer details will be different for everyone, the basics will generally be the same – so keep reading to find out more and get some things in place to build that all-important legacy.
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What Are Your Values?
If you want to build a legacy, you’ll need to know your real values in life because that’s ultimately what a legacy is – it’s something that reflects your values. Until you know what those values are and spend some time thinking about them and what they mean to you and others, it’s going to be impossible to know how to build your legacy and what it needs to include and be about.
So think carefully about what ignites strong feelings and passions within you, and what thing you want to keep going even when you’ve passed away. You might be passionate about the arts, education, science and research, the environment, or charity, for example, and you can make sure your legacy links with that passion.
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Make Some Goals
When it comes to building a legacy, it’s something that’s going to take some time and be made up of all kinds of different things, so you’re not going to be able to just make a quick list and get it done overnight – it’s something that needs to grow over time.
Once you’re sure about what your values are, you can make some goals to work on over your lifetime so that by the time you pass away, you can be sure you’ve done everything you can. That might be fundraising on a regular basis, volunteering, trying to recycle more, reducing your carbon emissions, and so on – take it step by step and keep moving forward. In fact, you can even leave a gift in your will to a charity like Macmillan to cement your legacy and give people something to remember you by.
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Be Flexible
The very fact that your legacy is going to take years to build up how you want to means that over that time, you’re probably going to come across a lot of changes – that could be down to the law changing, technology advancing, or perhaps even your own ideals and opinions changing as you discover more things about the world and yourself.
That’s why it’s crucial to be flexible when you’re building a legacy. You might need to change your plans or your goals or find another path entirely if you realise you were wrong about something. There’s nothing to be ashamed of in changing your mind when you have more facts, and the more flexible and adaptable you are, the easier it will be to get things right and leave a legacy to be proud of.
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Author Bio:
Freelance writer, Delicia Warren, is passionate about the environment and the impact humans are having on the world around us. After starting her career in the sustainability field, after taking a period of time to raise her two small humans, Delicia now dedicates her spare time to writing about how people can make a difference, one step at a time.
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