Start Living In Accordance With What You Want Your Legacy To Be

It’s safe to say that most people had their world rocked by the passing of Kobe Bryant. Whether you knew him or not, you felt the impact of him being taken from this world. Unfortunately, this happens to countless people every single day, either from a heart attack, a car crash, or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The amount of heart wrenching tributes I saw for Kobe got me thinking, if I were to be taken from this earth tomorrow, what would people say about me? What would my legacy be? Would people remember my compassion or my complaining? Would people in my life know just how much I love them or would they be left wondering? Would they say I took chances or played it too safe?

I hope that whenever my time comes, I’m remembered for how I loved those around me. For my empathy when people were hurting. For my spontaneous spirit. For living in a godly manner. For taking chances. But most importantly, I want to be remembered for fiercely loving my friends and family.

What do you want your legacy to be? Really think about it and write it down. Who do you want to be remembered as?

Start living your life in a manner that exudes that.

If you want people to see your compassion, start living for more than yourself. Help someone when you don’t have to. Reach out to a friend you know is struggling. Take your new coworker to coffee—you were once the new person in the room. Spoil your parents. Send them to a nice dinner. Write them a note about how much they mean to you. Call a friend you haven’t talked to in a while.

Do you want to be remembered as someone who took chances? Well, then stop playing it safe. Move to that new city. Take the new job. Go on the date. Tell someone how you feel about them. Hell, go skydiving.

From here on out, I want everyone to stop playing it safe and make each day truly count. It doesn’t have to be something as monumental as moving to a new city. It could be as simple as connecting with a friend, accomplishing something at work, or taking a new step to make yourself into a better, stronger person. Whatever it is, just start.

We all need to stop fearing failure and instead embrace it. Our lives will be much fuller lived that way. Stop thinking and start doing.

It brings tears to my eyes thinking about those final moments Kobe and Gigi spent together. I can’t imagine being in a helicopter and looking over at my dad, knowing we only had a few more seconds together. I guess the only thing that brings me a little comfort is knowing they left this world and entered heaven together. And I know some of the greats were waiting for them at heaven’s door.

Good people are being taken far too soon, but we still have time here. It’s our duty to use it to its full capacity. And that’s exactly what I intend on doing. Who wants to join me?