Live, Love, Leave a Legacy

I hope all of you had a fabulous Memorial Holiday Weekend! There is something special about seeing all the flowers laid on the graves of everyone’s loved ones on Memorial Day. It serves as a great reminder of the love and the legacy that great people leave behind when they pass.  In my own family those ancestors that have passed have left an amazing legacy for all of us to try and live up to. I am so grateful for their examples.

Years ago I was given an article written by a man named Jon Gordon on 4 ways to leave a legacy. I loved the article so much I hung on to it. He is the four ways he lists:

1.  A Legacy of Excellence– Saint Francis of Assisi said, “It’s no use walking anywhere to preach unless your preaching is your walking.” To leave a legacy of excellence, strive to be your best every day. As you strive for excellence you inspire excellence in others. You serve as a role model for your children, your friends and your colleagues. One person in pursuit of excellence raises the standards and behaviors of everyone around them. Your life is your greatest legacy and since you only have one life to give, give all you can.

2.  A Legacy of Encouragement – You have a choice. You can lift others up or bring them down. Twenty years from now when people think of you what do you want them to remember? The way you encouraged them or discouraged them? Who will you encourage today? Be that person that someone will call five, ten or twenty years from now and say “Thank you, I couldn’t have done it without you.”

3.  A Legacy of Purpose– People are most energized when they are using their strengths and talents for a purpose beyond themselves. To leave a legacy of purpose, make your life about something bigger than you. While you’re not going to live forever you can live on through the legacy you leave and the positive impact you make in the world.

4.  A Legacy of Love– I often think about my Mom, who passed away four years ago, and when I think about her I don’t recall her faults and mistakes or the disagreements we had. After all, who is perfect? But what I remember most about her was her love for me. She gave me a legacy of love that I now share with others. Share a legacy of love and it will embrace generations to come.

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I thought some of you might enjoy his thoughts the same way that I did.  It made me stop and think about my own life and the legacy I hope to leave behind someday through my actions of my life.  A great challenge for all of us to take on is to Live, Love, and Leave a Legacy by living every day of our own lives in a way that is creating that legacy for our posterity.

Have an amazing day!

~Amy

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