Leave a Legacy

It’s about more than just the money. Our legacy to our future generations is about what is on the inside. What combination of genes and outside influences made us who we are today? What messages and reflections do we want to make known to those who follow?

Many of us are concerned, in this economic turmoil, about what will be left in the investment accounts by the end of our lives. We may have pictured ourselves leaving a nice financial legacy so “the kids” could have it a little easier than we did. This is a wonderful intention and I am all for it! But the money is not your only legacy.

Gift them with your wisdom and with your accumulated knowledge. Let them know about challenges in life and how you dealt with them. Tell them about dreams and aspirations and whether or not you attained. What twists and bends in the road did you encounter that strengthened your character and empowered you? What missteps did you make that could be avoided in the future? Let them know that it is okay to make a mistake along the way, as long as you learn from it.

Each of us is the product of traits, opinions, genes and physical and emotional attributes passed along for generations. Wouldn’t you love to have had this information about your own grandparents and great-grandparents to see how they may have shaped the person you are today? It’s possible that you have some of the personality traits of a long-forgotten forebear, but since you have no record of their thoughts and feelings, awareness of the connection is lost. George Santayana famously said, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

All of this, and much more, can be left behind in your written memoir—your personal story.