Thinking, and writing, about your legacy

By Laura A. Roser
Posted on June 08, 2018

About half of Americans create at least one New Year’s resolution at the start of a new year, and most of those will have become a distant memory within months.

But something you do at any time, and that can make a meaningful difference, is to draw up your own Personal Legacy Statement. It’s like an estate plan, but instead of focusing on finances, it focuses on what kind of life you want to lead.

Have you thought about your legacy?

Every hour, every day and every year, you make small decisions that lead you toward becoming a certain kind of person. Many of these “decisions” are made on autopilot as a result of habits you’ve picked up: You instinctively reach for a cup of coffee in the morning, you check your phone whenever it dings, you tense up when your spouse uses that certain tone of voice.

These habits create the behavioral trend of your life. But what are they leading you toward?

In his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey writes about beginning with the end in mind. If you don’t know your destination, it’s likely you’ll end up going in circles.

One of the best ways I’ve found to create an anchor or point of destination for your life is to create a Personal Legacy Statement.

A Personal Legacy Statement goes beyond losing weight or saving a few extra bucks for the future. It is a declaration of the kind of person you hope to become, the values you wish to live by, and how you expect to impact others. It provides a vision that directs those tiny decisions that make up who you are.

If, for example, you specify in your Personal Legacy Statement that you would like to be a good parent, you may start changing some things in your day-to-day life, like putting down the cellphone at dinner or reading to your daughter before bed rather than binging on the latest Netflix series.

These small acts make a tremendous impact and lead to a legacy you can be proud of. Without this kind of direction, it’s easy to let entropy take over and just go with the flow — leading you to leave a legacy of, well, not much.

Writing your statement

A Personal Legacy Statement takes introspection. Spend some time journaling about the questions below and then craft a concise — no more than one page — statement that encompasses the attributes of the kind of person you hope to be known as.

Identify your roles.

Determine how you wish to represent yourself in the following five roles:

Family Role — How do you wish to connect with and love those in your family?
Social Role — How do you want to interact with friends and acquaintances?
Career Role — How do you want to impact others through your work? How do you find passion and enjoyment in your work?
Community Role — How will you contribute to your local community? Do you have a passion for helping a certain group of people or furthering a cause?
Spiritual Role — How will you nourish your spirit or need for creativity, connection, rest and balance? How will you grow yourself and care for your body and well-being?

Define your principles.

Think about what values and morals will help you fulfill your various roles. Consider these questions as you’re writing down the values that matter to you:

What principles are important to follow to fulfill the roles you’ve outlined for yourself?
Which character attributes are most important to you?
Are there personal weaknesses or struggles that will make it hard for you to fulfill your legacy if you don’t address them?

Specify how you wish to share your legacy.

Memories fade quickly; what gets remembered is what is recorded and shared. Consider these questions when thinking about how you wish to share your legacy: