Will You Leave the Legacy You Want?

leg·a·cy: ˈleɡəsē/

a thing handed down by a predecessor.

“the legacy of centuries of neglect”

synonyms: consequences, effect, upshot, spin-off, repercussion, aftermath, by product, result

My Grandma Pauline was probably the most determined women I’ve ever met. When I was 11, she suffered a massive stroke that left her paralyzed on her right side and unable to speak. This tragic event did not stop my Grandma from living a full life. The doctors gave her 6 months to live after her stroke, but thanks to her undefeated spirit, she lived 6 more years. 

I remember when my sister’s cat had a litter of kittens upstairs. My partially paralyzed Grandma climbed the stairs, by herself, determined to not miss the new life in the house. None of us will ever forget that day. I see my Grandma’s determination in my mom, in every one of my siblings, and even in my own daughter. My Grandma has left a legacy. She chose to fight for what she wanted, with a fire and passion met by very few. 

I believe every human will leave a legacy. The question is, what kind of legacy will we leave?

We currently have a 40-50% divorce rate, take only 50% of our (paid!) vacation days, have an average of nearly $16,000 in credit card debt and spend an average of nine hours per day texting, emailing, surfing the internet and watching TV. The soil’s nutrients are depleting at an alarming rate, the average person generates 4 lbs of garbage per day and we eat out on average 4-5 times per week. We average less than 7 hours of sleep per night, walk less than 5,500 steps per day and 2 out of 3 adults are overweight.

We work way too hard and play way too little. We search for happiness in all the wrong places. We’re stressed, lethargic, forgetful, anxious, depressed, hungry, thirsty, lonely, overwhelmed and running on empty.

We have forgotten how to thrive

This life we are living, is not sustainable. We are killing ourselves and will never leave the legacy we want. Is this how we want the future generations to live? Is this how we want to live?

I sure didn’t want that life for myself. So I started living differently. Making conscious choices on the foods I ate, how I spent my money, what I did in my spare time. And you know what? It got worse. The stress and anxiety only increased. My health issues persisted. But, I was determined to make it work. I eventually got the hang of it and feel that this life, is worth living.

I believe we need a new approach. An approach that will allow us to live by taking what we need now, without jeopardizing the next generation; learning to thrive in the little things of the everyday. We need to create practices that are life-giving and sustainable. 

That’s why I created this blog. To help with those practices. If you want to join me, please subscribe to my page. Together, we can change the world and leave a lasting legacy.