Legacy Guide Defined

Toss a pebble into a still pond and watch the ripples expand, touching every corner. Legacy is like that pebble, casting its influence far beyond our immediate existence. Our actions today create a ripple effect that can shape the lives of our children, grandchildren, and countless others who follow in our footsteps. By nurturing and passing down values, dreams, and aspirations, we give the next generation the potential to flourish and evolve.

The importance of legacy lies not only in safeguarding the past but also in building upon it. We stand on the shoulders of giants, drawing from their strengths and triumphs while forging new paths that carry the torch of progress. Think of legacy as a dance between honoring tradition and embracing innovation.

“Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. 

Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.” 

Our current legacy system centers around inheritance, the passing down of money, property, and assets. Inheritance is concerned with the transfer of wealth, and its primary focus is on the material aspects of what is left behind. While these things are certainly a part of a legacy, they are not the whole picture. The most important part of a legacy may be more abstract and about the intangible things passed down from generation to generation. 

These intangibles could be family values, traditions, principles, and stories. It can include a person’s reputation, character, the positive changes they have brought about, the knowledge and wisdom they have shared, and the ways they have enriched the lives of others. 

Legacy is about a lasting influence and the contributions a person makes to their community, society, or the world at large. It transcends material wealth and can endure for generations. Even if you don’t have a lot of material possessions, you can still leave a lasting legacy. 

Here are a few ideas:

> Share your family stories. 

> Live and leave a positive impact on the world. 

> Teach your children your values by sharing about failures, not just successes.

The process undergone to produce this guide is a great foundation to begin this journey. Scattered throughout these pages are great tools, questions, and stories to help open up thoughtful discussion and outline a roadmap to the success your precessors have seen. As a reader, you are not just an observer but an active participant whose insight and life experience will add to this generational story.  

If you go back far enough, most everyone, has a distant relative that made a name in the history books. Our goal is for you to not just be telling the stories of past ancestors but be actively writing the history books for future generations. The ripple you made in this pond of life will influence those that follow you. It’s time to take control of what that looks like and how it is felt.