Everything Counts: 52 Remarkable Ways to Inspire Excellence and Drive Results

Chapter 37. Your Legacy Counts

"Live your life with class, dignity, and style so that an exclamation, rather than a question mark, signifies it!"

We all begin life at GO, and all roads lead to a final rendezvous. The difference is what we do en route as the paths chosen, actions taken, and a host of decisions made ultimately lead to a unique legacy. It's nonnegotiable: you will leave a legacy. The question then becomes: What legacy will you leave?

Your legacy comprises both ends and means. Is winning really winning when you are ashamed of how victory came? The means by which you move through your life provide the working platform that supports your goals. Style, courtesy, honesty, integrity, and respect—these are the qualities that make for an inspiring legacy. The way you live your life has an effect on how you are remembered. How can the ends of your efforts be respected if the means make you want to blush in embarrassment?

Your legacy is not age sensitive. Although we relate the two as one, the truth is far from that perception. Don't defer your legacy. It is never too early or late to consider how you want to be remembered. You should have an intimate obsession with your legacy, as it's the only one you've got.

Thinking of your legacy is like starting anything new—you are either gung ho or baffled. In order to break through the roadblocks, close your eyes and envision the outcome of a successful life—your successful life. What do you see? What do you hear? Who are you with? How ...