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Your Legacy Begins Now

Guest post by: Brian Sullivan

Article Overview: 7 Steps to Creating a Footprint to Be Proud Of.

Your Legacy Begins Now

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."

Mahatma Gandhi

Two weeks ago while on family vacation in Colorado, a well-known philanthropic business executive named Tom Murphy (age 45) was tragically killed when a boulder fell from a mountain and struck his car. Two days after hearing the news, I found his obituary in the paper. As I read it, I was moved by the words used to describe Tom's life. In fact, he did so much good for so many people they needed to use Kansas City's biggest arena, the Sprint Center, to host his funeral. Tom left an enormous footprint.

As I set down the paper I wondered what my own obituary would say. And though it might seem a bit morbid, I thought it would be a good "life" exercise to write out my own. At points throughout I wondered if what I was writing was what I HOPED people would say or what they would actually say. This 15-minute exercise helped me quickly think about what is most important. And I realized if there was any doubt about what would be written, NOW is the time to do the things necessary to take that doubt away. Because I have control over the content written after I graduate to the next life. And so do YOU!

So this week, as uncomfortable as it may seem, think about what your obituary would say. And don't worry, this exercise doesn't have to be morbid. However, it WILL be enlightening. So get to your computer and follow these steps:

• 1. Pick a creative way to die so you don't get totally depressed during the exercise! For instance, here is the one I wrote:

Sept 8, 2035-Yesterday, Brian Sullivan dropped dead in Kerry, Ireland with a pint of Guinness in his hand after setting the record for the most consecutive rounds of golf by an American under 5'8" tall."

• 2. List three personal accomplishments you would like to be known for. (Whether you have done them yet or not)
• 3. List three professional accomplishments you would like to be known for. (Whether you have done them yet or not)
• 4. List the people you will leave behind and what they thought of you. Be specific. (This part will move you but is perhaps the most important part of the exercise)
• 5. List something BIG you will be known for and put a date on when you accomplished that goal (Even if it is 15 years from now)
• 6. Plan to view this every year at the same time to see if your actions will warrant the words written in your Obit.
• 7. Then go LIVE!

This moving exercise will create urgency in you to love more, experience more, give more and to share more of yourself with everyone you meet...a formula Tom Murphy figured out long ago.

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Article Tags: communication skills, creating a legacy, creating an impact, Gandhi, greatness, insurance sales training, legacy, living, living well, medical sales training, obituary, precise selling, sales tactics, sales training, Tom Murphy



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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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