What will people think and say about us when we’re gone?
This post was hard to write. I have been kicking it around for weeks and procrastinating a lot. Our community lost a young guy who was a positive light to everyone he interacted with. He was not a close friend, as I didn’t know him long, but I still consider him a good friend regardless. We took our Fireman’s classes together and had hilarious conversations. He was always so pleasant and positive with a smile to match. His involvement in the community was where he spread his version of influence. He was creating his legacy! No one would fully understand his impact until he left this world, which was evident the day he was laid to rest. The outpouring of love and support our community and others was beautiful. He impacted so many lives through his business and ties to the local fire department. The main street of this community was packed with onlookers, friends, and fire trucks from various departments. I was in awe of the amount of people that came out to say their goodbyes. If I’m being honest, it’s still hard to fathom this loss. Again, we were acquaintances at best and our friendship was new. This loss left a knot in my stomach or what can only be describes as an empty spot. He made an impact on me as well and I didn’t even know it was happening. It’s funny how people do that for us just by their day-to-day interactions. It really is easy to make a positive impact on someone’s life. I can’t help but ask myself, what am I leaving behind as I live this life? How will I be remembered when I am gone? Do I make those around me feel special?
It starts with us, always. Are we inwardly happy and confident? We get ourselves into trouble when we struggle to stay positive or think poor of our abilities. My friend always had a positive vibe, that I could pick up on in every interaction. We need to remember that we can’t be a light for others until we are secure inside. The feeling we have about ourselves allows us to be in a good place to transfer this positive vibe to those we interact with. We all get down on ourselves but that’s not what I’m referring to. We need to be ultra-positive about ourselves even when we are down and uncertain. In every organization people always say we should be positive. The ability to be positive during hard times is much more difficult. Be aware of your thoughts and guard your self-talk to be inwardly awesome.
How we treat others will impact any legacy we hope to create. With every face-to-face interaction we have, there is an awesome opportunity to make someone’s day. We can have a small interaction with people we don’t even know. If you’re a leader of some kind you can build a positive legacy by meeting your people where they are. Go see the people in their space and visit about anything. It means a lot when we talk to our people about other things that aren’t work related. Conversations we have build rapport and trust. Trust me, you are reading a blog site called Leading Conversations!
Creating a great legacy, starts today. When our life is over, we want our family and friends to remember us with good thoughts. We want to be remembered for our positive conversations and the warm feelings people felt in our presence. If we have poor relationships now, we need to fix them. We cannot allow bad feelings to linger or get even worse. We must apologize if need be and settle arguments today. We never know when the game will be over, so plan how you want others to feel about you now. Building your positive legacy means making others feel special. Take care of your business now!
Have you thought about how your life has impacted others?
How are you speaking to friends and strangers?
Does your body language and facial expressions relay a positive vibe?
What are you willing to do in this very moment to create a positive legacy?
Our legacy is formed throughout our lives. It is a result of being a caring and positive individual, like our friend we lost. We will never know when our time is up. I hope you have built a legacy you can be proud of and formed outstanding relationships as a result. Thanks for looking in on this post and I wish you a great week as you build that positive vibe and legacy.
Steven C. Bucks- Leading Conversations
