Take these Steps to Create an Impactful Legacy

I think we all want to make a difference in our own way and be remembered for the things we do. It is important to keep in mind that our interactions with people and the world around us have an immediate impact, hopefully a good one, which builds our legacy over time. Those interactions happen in the now. This is why we all need to be mindful that our communication and our actions are in alignment with the way we want people to think about us, and in the future, remember us.

To make sure you create an impactful legacy, I’m sharing the steps I give to my mentoring clients, which are also the ones that I use myself to make a difference that matters. 

What is a legacy and why does it matter?

One of the definitions of legacy from Oxford Languages is, “the long-lasting impact of particular events, actions, etc. that took place in the past, or of a person’s life.” In other words, it’s something that you leave behind. 

Why does it matter? It matters because your legacy reflects you and the impact you make on the people and the world around you. This goes beyond material things or wealth; your legacy also includes the memories you leave with the people you interact with. Your legacy is created every single day with every heart you touch. To ensure those memories are the ones you want, it’s important to define the legacy you want for your life, so you can act in alignment with it every day. This will help you create maximum impact and help you see the difference you make now!

How do you create a legacy?

It’s important to remember that your legacy comes from the decisions you make and the actions you take each moment of the day. This is why aligning everything you do with the long-lasting effects you want to have on the people and environment around you is key to creating your legacy. 

Taking the time to define what you want your legacy to be will support you in making decisions and taking actions with confidence that you are making the difference you want to make. 

How do you want to serve the highest good in the moment and beyond?

Personally, I’ve dedicated my career to making a difference for people around the world by helping them improve their financial literacy because I know how much of a difference a little bit of financial information can make to the quality of people’s lives. That really matters to me. You will have different things that matter to you, which you will incorporate into your legacy building strategy.  

To start building a lasting legacy you can be confident in, take these steps:

1. Define your legacy. Whether it is making a positive difference for the people closest to you, in your community or for people around the world, you have to know what you want your legacy to be before you can achieve it. Your legacy should be something that resonates to your very core. 
2. Decide on your delivery methods. We all have unique gifts and talents, which become part of our legacy. Speaking and writing are two of mine. I love doing both and connecting with people in that way. How you serve and support people will be unique to you. As you grow and develop personally, how you deliver your legacy may change. As long as it feels good to you and it serves and supports others, go for it!
3. Outline the Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) of your legacy. We usually talk about KPI’s in business to identify the quantifiable measurements of performance, which can easily be applied to creating a legacy. Will you measure your performance by the number of hugs you give your children or family members? The volunteer hours you do? Or an increase in client satisfaction ratings? These are just a few examples. Take the time to define your KPI’s, so you know you are doing the things that will create a lasting legacy. 
4. Set your goals and milestones. Beyond your KPI’s, how else will you know you are living out your legacy? Think about the steps you need to take to reach specific goals and how those goals will lead to the major milestones of your legacy. For example, an artist who sets a milestone of landing their first gallery showing, will need to build a portfolio first. That might mean they need to set goals around time spent each day on their art, or the number of pieces produced each week/month to reach the amount needed for the portfolio, before they can approach galleries. 
5. Work your plan. Building a legacy requires action! Once you’ve set your goals and milestones, you have to take the steps to reach them, ensuring your actions are in alignment with the legacy you want to build. This will require you to be very intentional. It will also entail doing new things, so if getting outside your comfort zone makes you a little uncomfortable, CLICK HERE to get my FREE RESOURCE: How to Overcome Fear and Take Action. 

After you take these steps to create an impactful legacy, be sure to analyze your results. This will keep you on track with the legacy you want to create. There will be times when you don’t get the results you want, which will mean you will need to reset and refire. That’s okay! There will be many ways to get to your end goal and they will develop as you grow. As long as you know what you want your legacy to be, and you are taking action on it, you will keep moving steadily toward it, by serving the people who matter most and doing the things that are meaningful to you. 

No matter how old you are or what stage of life you are in, you can still take steps to build your legacy…all you have to do is REFIRE!

Refire is my online course that will help you energize, strategize, mobilize and realize success! That success is your legacy. With Refire, you will define a new vision, blast through barriers holding you back, and you will learn how to turn your ideas and solutions into a new business or revenue stream! CLICK HERE TO REFIRE NOW!