Tweet

How Much Are You Leaving Behind?

Written by: Les Brown

Article Overview: Most people think of their legacy as the fruits of their labors. On the contrary, your true legacy derives from who you are not what you do.

How Much Are You Leaving Behind?

One of the 'features' of entering into the midlife transition happens to be the dawning realization of just how tenuous our connection to this plane of existence really is. I fondly remember evenings as a student in Ottawa, Ontario spent at the Colonel Bye lounge enjoying the comedy of entertainer Jack McPartland. More than once, I'd stay until the end of his set. He'd always end the same way: with the recitation of a poem called "The Indispensable Man," yet it means much more to me now than it ever did then. Here it is for your edification:

Sometime when you're feeling important, sometime when your ego's in bloom,
Sometime when you feel that you must be the most important one in the room,
Take a bucket and fill it with water, put your hand in it up to your wrist,
Pull it out and the hole that's remaining is the measure of how you'll be missed.

You can splash all you want as you enter, you can stir up the water galore,
Pull it out and its really amazing, the hole is remaining no more.
The moral of my story is simple, do the best at whatever you can,
But always be sure to remember, there's no indispensable man.

In the 1970's, anthropologists from the Louis Leakey team named a newly-discovered hominid species predating any other man-like creatures previously known as 'homo habilis', the 'handy man,' because of simple tools found among the remains. The human species has always been identified with tool-making at a level and to a degree not found among other primate species. To our very core, human beings are creative (intentional) creatures. Not only that, but we pass our creations — our technology — down from generation to generation, each iteration adding its own characteristic advances to the generations that have gone before. It's not enough for humans merely to reproduce: even bacteria can do that. No, we humans mark our passage through this world by leaving behind a creative legacy that's uniquely our own.

Starting a new family (even if it consists of only two members) represents a hugely significant milestone in any individual's life. For some cultures, it serves as the passageway from childhood to adulthood. I clearly remember a schoolmate of mine, a seminarian from Tanzania, son of a tribal chieftain. Even though he was nearly thirty years old, he was considered a child at home among his people, since he had not married. Once he was ordained a priest, and the village celebrated the moment with a festival as grand as any VIP wedding, only then was he treated as an adult (and even welcomed to sit among the community elders). Still, this passage, significant as it may be, says nothing at all about you or me as distinctly human.

What sets you apart from every other creature on the planet has little to do with your relationships or even your progeny. What elevates you above and beyond pond scum derives entirely from the creative contribution that you're willing and able to make to the furtherance of humanity. It's all about your creative legacy. From ancient times, almost all cultures have recognized that some men and women have received an inner summons to forgo bearing children and to serve as a reminder to the rest of humanity that we have a higher purpose here. Regardless of whether or not you accept the responsibilities of parenthood, you can never be absolved of your responsibility to make a positive contribution to the whole of humanity.

Instead of being the butt of endless jokes, in a more spiritually aware society, the midlife transition should be cause for a much more significant celebration than either marriage or ordination (although perhaps that was the original focus of ordination to elder-hood). This passage into maturity enables you to take a step outside the 'dog-eat-dog' world of wealth and power, and outside the hassles of raising a family, to concentrate more deeply on crafting your legacy. What will you, after all, leave behind? Bank accounts, investments and property evaporate very, very quickly. They're all a part of that 'hole in the water' I spoke about. Here's a great Truth: you don't need enormous wealth or a large family to leave a significant legacy that will affect generations to come. None of them even need to know your name. All that really matters derives from the care and insight with which you interact with those around you.

Think for a moment about the significant people in your life: it could be parents or grandparents, teachers, religious leaders, inspirational celebrities, neighbors or friends. How many of them were rich or famous? How many of them were recognized as major corporate successes? I'd be amazed if any of them were any of those things. Yet, you have a uniquely significant gift that all the rest of us are waiting for, whether or not you or we are aware of it. Your midlife transition invites you to explore and experience that creative spark within you that you've been ignoring and putting aside for far too long. Every day you hesitate to grab hold of it means another piece of your precious legacy has been forever lost. You don't need to be just another hole in the water; you can make a difference; you can leave behind a legacy that transforms the world. So, what, exactly is it that you're waiting for?

Related Articles
  How To Leave The Right Kind of Voice Mail – Career Advice for Non-native English Speakers
  Showing Appreciation - Learning From Watching Your Team
  The 20 Worst Prospecting Voicemail Mistakes Salespeople Make
  Returning to Work After Maternity Leave
  Leaving Messages

Article Tags: anthropologists, colonel, creative legacy, edification, evenings, generation to generation, handy man, homo habilis, human beings, human species, indispensable man, iteration, louis leakey, midlife transition, ottawa ontario, plane of existence, primate species, realization, recitation, simple tools



Related Forum Posts
Re: What I'm reading this weekend - Feb 11, 2011 - I won't be around this weekend. Leaving out of town in a few minutes. But I will certainly catch up on the list Monday.
Re: Information vs. Spam: A dilemma - Hi GT I definitely agree with Trent that this is spam. If he wants to post these articles he should be doing it in article directories and not in forums, that is not the purpose of a forum. Leaving the same article in forums all over the place is proof enough that he is spamming. MichelleJ
Re: SEO... - [quote="tumescentliposuction":1wl7yf0v] Getting a high SERP is a combination of a number of things. Leaving out any of the items on the following list of SEO Techniques can result in your page not getting as high a search engine results position as it could.[/quote:1wl7yf0v] Is there a list of SEO techniques that was supposed to follow this post? If so please post it so that we can comment. Cheers Phil
Re: What or Who Sparks Your Business Interest - It's interesting to see what the different motivations are by Age Category. I've noticed this around me: 20 to 29yr olds: Motivator: Money 30 to 39yr olds: Motivator: Success/Ambition 40 to 49yr olds: Motivator: Family comes first 50 to 59yr olds: Motivator: Leaving a legacy i've only gone that far in my analysis. Of course this is a braid generalization but I find that it helps direct my marketing to individuals in different age brackets. The product/service can be the same but the Marketing message (Benefit Statement) to a 20 year will revolve around "Money" vs. a 30-something would be on their "Self Image"
Re: Book Review - The Freedom Formula - Hi Shri, Thanks for your input. I have read a bit of the book. Now I say something which many may know, true freedom comes from the true source of Freedom. We read this in Luke 4v17-18. ......has sent me to proclaim freedom for the....proclaim of the Lord's favor. Later it reads, the people were amazed. She mentions God, but what about his son Jesus, who died and rose again. Jesus. Powerful. More and more people asking questions, why are we here and what is the purpose for our life. All the answers are in the Bible, which stands for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. A very successful guy in the US is Joel Osteen from Houston Texas, with over 40'000 people meeting every week. He has written a book: "Your Best Life Now" Well worth reading, too. Regards Beat


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Download a template or see a lawyer?

Build Corporate Credit for Your Small Business

Work at Home Moms and Their Bad Rap?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.