I know your eyes probably just rolled because you think I am going to start talking about estate documents, wills and what you want to leave to your children.
Nope – that is not what this article is about.
When you look up the definition of legacy the first entry talks about the financial aspects of what you leave behind. But I am not here to talk about finance. There is an entire industry devoted to that topic. The second entry is the kind of legacy I want you to think about right now:
Legacy: The long-lasting impact of a person’s life.
Think for a moment. Is there someone that you admire, living or dead? If you could have lunch with them and be able to ask them questions, wouldn’t you jump at the chance?
Guess what? – There is someone in your life that looks up to you that way.
There are also valuable life lessons that you have learned. Sadly, our American culture tends to idolize youth, but those of us who have been around the block a couple of times have plenty of knowledge we can share.
So how do you share all of this knowledge you have learned and earned?
I encourage you to create a legacy notebook. This can be as simple as a spiral notebook or a word document on your computer.
Before getting started it is important to identify who you want to create this document for. There may be different pieces of wisdom you want to include if it is for a child than if it is for a grandchild.
There are 6 sections in a legacy notebook, and you will want to leave extra room in each so that you can come back and make updates whenever you want.
1. What I Believe
Once you decide who you are creating this for it is time to start sharing. This is where you share your values and beliefs. Here are some questions/prompts to help you get started:
- When I am making a difficult decision I…
- My most important value is …. because…
- When I was your age I believed … but now I believe…
These are just a few suggestions to get you started. This is the section to share what you believe and perhaps what led you to those beliefs.
2. What I Know
We haven’t lived this long without learning a thing or two. So, what are some life lessons you think are important to share?
These can be about any topic, and you can have as few or as many as you like. Try to include personal examples if you are comfortable sharing. Here are a few examples of topics:
- Relationships
- Career
- Finances
The goal is to save the person receiving this legacy notebook the heartache of learning those lessons the hard way, I think of this as the place to put all of that advice I really wanted to give my teenaged children, but I knew they would just roll their eyes at me.
3. What I Hope
We all have hopes and dreams for ourselves and for our family. This is the section to share those hopes. This is also a place to share some of the changes you have seen in your life and how they impacted you.
Is there some advice you wish you had gotten in your 20’s, 30’s or 40’s that you can share?
- Career Advice
- Motivational Advice
- 10 things I wish I had known sooner about life
This is also a great place to share your hopes and dreams for the person who will be receiving this book.
4. What I am Grateful For
Gratitude is a powerful emotion. Sharing what you are grateful for can provide a lot of insight into who you are.
- Who are you grateful for in your life?
- Are there circumstances you are grateful for?
- I wouldn’t be here today if it were not for….
This is a great section to name and thank those people who have had a big impact on your life.
5. What I want You to Remember
Every family has traditions, but some may be more important than others. This is where you can share what your favorite traditions are and if there are traditions you would like to see in the future.
- What are some of your favorite memories related to these traditions?
- What are some of your favorite things right now? How have these changed over time?
- I remember when….
Don’t forget to share about traditions that you loved as a child or young adult as these may inspire the recipient to restart them.
6. Summary
Now it is time to review and summarize what you have written. Take a moment to think about all of the sections and share a final thought with the reader.
Once you have a draft of your legacy notebook I would encourage you to review it regularly to add more information.
I would also encourage you to choose a specific date to gift the notebook. It could be a birthday, holiday or perhaps a wedding or birth of a grandchild.
Don’t fell limited to creating only 1 legacy book. You can create a notebook for anyone you want to share your wisdom with and repeat the process as many times as you want.
