If built right a legacy can stand the test of time. Genghis Khan died nearly eight hundred years ago but we still remember his name today because he left his mark in history. He built a legacy that no one can take away from him.

So before we get started let me define legacy, according to Webster’s Dictionary the second definition of legacy is “something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past “. But that’s not what most people think when they hear legacy. When someone thinks of legacy they think of money, an estate basically something of value. So how do I define a legacy, I define it as something that we leave behind that we are remembered for. That is vague because a legacy could be anything such as a painting or am heirloom or even mere memories. Now that we defined the term let’s talk about why some consider it a must.

Legacies are a way to be remembered so many people view it as a way to have a longer lifespan. No a legacy does not make you actually gain lifespan but it does make your “name” live on in the people you have affected. A perfect example of this is the Disney movie Coco. The movie is about the spirits in the after life and when the spirit’s family forgets about them they disappear. This may sound like an over-exaggeration of what happens if we have no legacy but it’s pretty accurate. No one know what lies beyond death but a legacy guarantees you will be remembered for a bit after your death. Certain individuals are remember hundreds of years after their deaths. Not all legacies are left behind because of good deeds, take for example the legacy left behind by Adolf Hitler.

So now that we know what a legacy is and why people leave them. So naturally the next thing to talk about is my personal legacy, To be fair I’m not technically at an age where I should be worried about leaving a legacy; however, I already started working on my legacy. How? The obvious answer is my book, no matter what happens to me my book is proof that I existed, but that’s not the legacy I’m talking about. The way I’m building my legacy is through my website and my podcast. My rants, opinions or advice may not affect you but it might affect someone else. As long as I can help change one person’s life then my legacy is secured. How is that a legacy? Well I learned most of my knowledge from books and teachers. The things I learned from them have changed my life and through me their teachings live on. But Josh, even if you change one person’s life there is no guarantee that they will start a site or podcast like you. That is true but they might pass along my advice to their kids or even their spouse. But none of that matters to me because helping one person is better than helping no one.

Let me know in the comments below your thoughts on legacies.