What does Yves Saint Laurent, Jerry Garcia, and Herman Melville have in common? Besides great creativity, they were all born on August 1st. Some people are recognizable because of what they have accomplished, what they have stood for, or how they have impacted the world. Have you ever thought about the impact you are leaving?
John Maxwell said, “Someday people will summarize your life in a single sentence. Pick it now!” Everyone, regardless of how famous, will have their life captured in a few words. However, before you pass from this world, you can impact the words that will summerize you.
Here are some thoughts for help with your legacy:
1. How do you want people to summarize you? If you don’t know what you want to be said about you, then you can never expect people to see in you what you want them to see.
2. Live the legacy. Once you have defined your legacy, live it. Become now, what you aspire to be.
3. Let your legacy grow. You cannot reach your potential by yourself. Who will you teach, mentor, lead, to carry on your legacy? If your legacy is important, then let it live beyond yourself.
I doubt many of you can go into great detail on the life of Yves Saint Laurent. You may know who he was, and what he did, but few details. He was born in Algeria and started designing dresses in his early teens. Later, he attended a design school in Paris, where he was influenced by Christian Dior. After a brilliant career, he died in 2008 of brain cancer.
Caroline Rennolds Milbank wrote, “The most consistently celebrated and influential designer of the past twenty-five years, Yves Saint Laurent can be credited with both spurring the couture’s rise from its sixties ashes and with finally rendering ready-to-wear reputable.”
What would be the one sentence you would want people to say about you?