Day 13: What Will Your Legacy Be?...

As we get older and become more settled in the lives we've chosen, we start to wonder what our mark on the world will be. Have we done anything important? Have we made an impact? What will our legacy be once we're gone and only the memory of us remains?

Can we be proud of what we're leaving behind?

In all honesty, most of us will never have the impact that a Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, or Bono have had on this world. Our resources simply aren't that vast and our reach not that substantial. That said, the biggest influence any one of us can have doesn't lie in our pockets or our popularity but, rather, in the example we set for others.

The way you live your life can be of great influence to those around you. Your decision to live with integrity might become the catalyst for another's decision to do so—and who knows how their decisions will, ultimately, impact and influence the world.

A legacy is wonderful to have—who doesn't want a little recognition at the end of the day—but you should strive to live your life as purposefully as possible.

By doing so, you impact the development of all who know you and, at the end of the day, the memory of you will be a gift and a motivator for those who never knew their own potential. No monuments or buildings may be dedicated in your name, but your legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of the many you touch along the way.

Be someone you can be proud of everyday, the rest will take care of itself.