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Legacy and Immortality

Written by: Elizabeth Mullen

Article Overview: A philosopher/historian once said that the really great ideas have their own objective reality. That they have substance beyond just being wisps in the mind of the individual thinker.

Legacy and Immortality

A philosopher/historian once said that the really great ideas have their own objective reality. That they have substance beyond just being wisps in the mind of the individual thinker.
Take for instance the idea of "Legacy." Whether or not you are thinking about it at any given time, the very idea of passing from generation to generation continues, as does the experience in the lives of every one who follows you...

If you make a piece of furniture, for instance, it (and its component materials) will continue to effect space in perpetuity whether or not you are present. Likewise if you create an idea about life, or a memory, it too will continue to influence others far beyond your immediate presence. Whether you are designing your legacy or not, your heirs on this planet will indeed have to contend with that which you've left behind, and be forced to interact with your legacy in subtle or not-so-subtle ways...

So what does this have to do with your every day life? And how can your awareness of this great idea take your existence into the realm of the immortal? (hey, why not get to the meaty stuff right away?!)

Awareness alone can often be enough to stimulate a more conscious, fruitful, and meaningful legacy. Asking oneself questions such as "what is it that I want to leave in my wake?" or "how will this word or action impact others when I am not around?" can make a huge difference in the quality of your legacy. Asking yourself what qualities or principals you want for your life to stand for can give your life TODAY greater purpose. Think about if you made your life about "heroism," or "kindness;" what kinds of things you might do differently.

As for your "immortality," that is actually a grand old word for something that is a simple fact. Your life, ideas, actions, creations, essence, DO and will make a difference now and for years to come. In this regard, you are immortal. The question is: what kind of difference do you want to make?

Even ideas like "I don't make a difference" is just that, an idea that can create a particular type of legacy... and obviously, a particular kind of life (perish the thought!)

Because the bottom line remains, those million molecules that just exhaled out your nostrils will never be the same again for having passed through you. Nor will that notion about "quality of life" "happiness" "generosity" "freedom" or "legacy"...

Make your greatest thoughts matter (because they already do).

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Napoleon on Project Management - Why do I include this in a list of books aimed at female entrepreneurs? Well...in the expectation that there are as many female history buffs as male ones, and in the belief that anyone interested in history will find this book fascinating, while those interested in project management will learn a thing or two. I think this was the first "gimmick" book - an author using a historical figure (usually a male, military figure, it must be admitted) to talk about modern day business management. I refuse to read any of the kind that advocates - even obliquely - the techniques of the Sopranos or the Mossad - but these military ones are pretty fun. Anyway: Only in the understanding of history, Napoleon might say, do we gain an understanding of strategy in the present. In the same spirit, Napoleon on Project Management offers the recipe for successfully managing your commitments using the strategies, tactics and priorities that propelled Napoleon himself to victory. [The book doesn't gloss over how Napolean eventually fell in defeat, of course, and there's lessons to be learned there as well. TOC Foreword by Douglas James Allan (Napoleanic Society of America) 1. The Rise to Power -The Skills to Succeed -A Compelling Vision -Diplomacy and Networking -Lessons from the Great Campaigns 2. Napoleon's 6 Winning Principles -Introduction -Exactitude -Speed -Flexibility -Simplicity -Character -Moral Force 3. The Downfall -What Went Wrong -Lessons from the Russian Invasion and Waterloo -The Four Critical Warning Signs -Napoleon's Legacy


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