How to be Intentional in Building Your Legacy

Tawnya & Scott Landis
Apr 11, 2023


What kind of life and world do you hope to create and leave behind for future generations to remember you by?

Whether it's through philanthropy, family, or other passions, we all have the opportunity to leave our mark on the world. Legacy is about learning from the past, living in the present, and building a better future. It isn't solely focused on death but also informs how we live our lives. Legacy provides perspective on what truly matters and allows us to make intentional choices about the kind of life we want to lead.

And as humans, creating a legacy has become subconsciously engraved in us. It has become a driving force in finding out our purpose and the meaning of our lives. That is why it is important that we intentionally work towards building our legacy, as it not only strengthens our relationships and communities but also taps into our human spirit.

If you'd like to be intentional about building your legacy, read this article to learn more.

What is a legacy?
A legacy goes beyond the literal definition of the long-term effects of past events or actions. Rather, it is formed by personal values and how they are shared to make an impact on the world. Your stories, the memories you’ve shared with people, and the perspectives you have built through life are combined in creating your legacy.

Many would think that legacy is about maintaining life and leaving a mark even after death, but at its core, it can be a way to lead a fulfilling life in the present. While the idea of legacy may initially evoke death, it is truly about life and how we choose to live it, and the type of world we want to create.

How to Start Being Intentional in Building Your Legacy

Identify your core values and reflect on your identity.
It's common for leaders to engage in the process of self-discovery to uncover their unique identity and value system. As a leader, it's crucial that you have a deep understanding of your personal values and beliefs. This self-awareness is essential for shaping your leadership style, behavior, attitude, and legacy. 

Create Your Guiding Foundational Principles
After establishing a firm sense of self and values, how can they be transformed into guiding principles that others can rely on? These principles must embody your strongest beliefs and convictions, representing your leadership standards and outlook.

Be Courageous and Take Risks
As a leader, it is essential to have faith in your instincts and be courageous enough to take calculated risks. Sometimes, you may need to trust your abilities enough to question accepted norms and go beyond conventional wisdom—despite the threat of it potentially harming your reputation.

Genuinely Care to Advance Others
It is crucial to understand what brings happiness to the people whom you lead and serve. As you progress and grow as a leader and strive to establish a favorable impact, it is vital that you continuously seek ways how to improve the way you serve others and wholeheartedly aid in their professional progression and overall enthusiasm towards life and their career.

Always Practice Responsibility and Accountability
Being intentional in creating a legacy involves recognizing the chance and obligation to advance oneself through service to others. It is solely up to you to establish the tone and set performance expectations for both yourself and others. To succeed, you must possess immense self-discipline to ensure you hold yourself accountable and consistently meet those expectations every day and in every situation.

Legacy is about creating traditions that can be passed down to future generations. A good example of this is a family business, where the knowledge and experience are directly transmitted to the next generation, enabling them to take over and expand the enterprise successfully. As a leader, it is your duty to honor the legacy and traditions of those who came before you while also taking responsibility for building upon those traditions to enhance the organization's culture, human capital, and brand.

Conclusion

Legacy can take on various forms, it can be your descendants, a business venture, a belief or ideal, a written work, a community, a home, or a piece of your own identity. Naturally, we're all intrigued by the prospect of our legacy and how we'll be remembered by the world when we're no longer around.

However, when we look at things purely from a practical perspective, we realize that failing to leave behind a legacy means that the valuable knowledge we've gained through years of hard-won experience will disappear along with our physical body as it deteriorates over time.

That being said, establishing a positive and impactful legacy is no easy feat. Nonetheless, your legacy is a reflection of how you've lived your life, and it must be something that future generations can learn and benefit from. Thus, building this requires a significant amount of discipline, courage, selflessness, humility, and kindness.

To help you intentionally prepare an impactful legacy, I recommend listening to my podcast with Michael Stansbury, where he shares his life experiences and the methods he's used to maintaining positive relationships and interactions, all of which can serve as valuable insights for anyone looking to leave a lasting legacy.