What is the Meaning of Legacy?

If you look up the meaning of legacy, the result will be “money or property left to someone”. When I look at this definition, it speaks to me of value. In this post, I want to focus on the value of legacy more so than the money of legacy.

If money (and property) is the only legacy you want to leave behind, then 40-Forwarders, we would have failed. (Selah)

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Don’t get me wrong, it is important that we leave money in the bank and real estate for generation to generation. But, please, please let us also pass on those very important life disciplines and principles that will help our Youngins to build on the inheritance they received, and to leave for those who will come behind them.

40-Forwarders, the “L” in our B.L.E.S.S. Plan is for legacy. In the post entitled How To Be A BLESSing, three questions were posed. What:

• Do you want to be remembered for?
• Mark do you want to leave behind?
• Trail are you leaving for others coming behind you?

Laying the Foundation

Legacy requires interaction, it demands give and take, and therefore transmission (pass on).

Additionally, legacy is influence. You can influence:

• Up close: Those within your immediate reach; you have one-on-one or group interactions.

• Long distance: Those you have never met personally but they are “into you” and you impact their behaviour.

The brighter your light, the farther your reach, and the more impactful! (Selah) 

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My dears, I’m coming out of the gates swinging, so brace for it. Truth is, time is not on our side so there is no time for beating around the bush. These Youngins are growing up fast and we need to ensure we are in step to guide them in the way they ought to go. So with that said …

• Do you have that which to give?
• What do you have to “rub off” on others?
• What are you passing on?

40-Forwarders, we must first possess a thing in order to pass it on. (Selah)

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Unfolding & Demonstrating the Meaning of Legacy

Let’s do a painful and pointed checkup from our neck up. Rona V, what are you getting at? Bear with me …

The Word of God says that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. It, therefore, means that our minds are pulling the strings of our behaviours like a puppeteer. So in this discourse, we will examine 2-A’s that start in the mind (hence our checkup from the neck up) – Aptitude & Attitude.

APTITUDE

Aptitude speaks to your ability and capacity to do. This may be by natural tendency or by acquisition (learnt). You have something in you that you are particularly good at.

On Display

Psychologydictionary.org defines aptitude as the natural capacity of an individual to acquire competence or skill through training.

This definition is being demonstrated in Summer Olympics 2021, where athletes from across the world are on show. Some may have been “discovered” (natural talent) while others “blossomed” (acquired over time through training). However they got here, they are here, and they all come to bring their best performance.

There are many watching, especially those Youngins, and they aspire to one day represent their countries. The “fans” know these athletes’ regime – discipline, training, diet, interests, etc. – and this is what they will follow.

40-Forwarders, let us bring this closer to home. What have we done with those skills, knowledge, and abilities? Do our Youngins see us giving of our best or are we sitting on our talents, or worse yet, slacking off? Do they see us thriving in our calling?

My dears, know this, God expects us to work our talent.

Matthew 25:14-30

The Papers

How many of us have been blocked by “the papers”?! For whatever reason, you just never went through the formal education system and got a certificate, diploma, or degree. Again and again, you are passed over because you “don’t have the papers”, notwithstanding, the records show your high standard of performance.

So you don’t have the “paper”, don’t allow that to stop you from sowing your good gift (seed) into others. Your years of experience give you insight and know-how that, truth be told, cannot be found in any book. In some instances, you may be able to translate the book.

Creatives, Techies, Tradesmen, the opportunity is before you to change your job title from “hustler” to “entrepreneur”. In this season, there has been an explosion of online learning/training opportunities. Universities, vocational training institutions, and other skills training schools are literally at your fingertips. Many of these courses are self-paced. I have tried my hands at edX, Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learn, but do your research and see what works best for you.

Locally, HeartNSTA Trust is Jamaica’s Human Capital Development Agency. The Agency provides technical, vocational and educational training all across Jamaica – training, assessment, certification, continuing education, professional development, business start-up, and so on. One of the Agency’s thrusts is to get persons like yourself certified in your respective disciplines – plumbers, electricians, welders, construction workers, cabinet makers, hotel workers, data entry clerks, etc. Some of the programmes they offer are “tuition-free” (yes, you read correctly). Take advantage of this opportunity. Get “the paper”!

40-Forwarders, by doing so you are showing others in the same shoes, as well as our Youngins, that it is not too late, it’s possible. You are also saying to them that you value your skills, talents, and abilities.

ATTITUDE

Attitude speaks to your stance, your posture, your behaviour. My dears, the truth is, others are taking note of how we approach life, and how we field what it (life) throws at us.

The posture(s) we present should be evidence of a good legacy.

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Rona V, what should this look like? Allow me to get your engines revving with some Legacy Moves 101 😉

1. Give of your best

Good enough is not enough! Giving good enough is “settling” and we are not about that lifestyle. Your peers and those behind you must always see you giving your best effort.

Only giving of your best is good enough. Don’t settle.

2. Fail forward

This point goes hand-in-hand with the previous point. If you fail, it is not that you did not give your best effort. Yes, you can fail even though you gave your best. Let’s go back to the stands at the Summer Olympics. Every athlete we watch is there to win GOLD. Some come up short, but, they gave it their best shot. In interviews, we see some shedding tears of disappointment, but you will always hear, “I’ll be back!”

This is one legacy we must pass on to our Youngins – don’t just throw in the towel, if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again! We could learn a thing or two from the Wright Brothers (inventors of the airplane) and Thomas Edison (inventor of the light bulb). They gave meaning to never give up.

Failure is not the end of the world, it is momentum! (Selah)

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3. Discipline

40-Forward BLESSers, order, structure, and consistency are our way of life. Set rules and targets for yourself. Make a plan around achieving your goals then start to consistently chip away at them.

Greatness cannot be accomplished in chaos, so get organized, and develop discipline.

4. Be above board

Let things such as honesty, integrity, fair play, lawful, ethical, trustworthy, upright, honourable, and truthful be aligned to your name. Need I say more?!

5. Live what you believe

It is important that our mouths and our moves line up! A Jamaican may say, it is about the demonstration and “not a bag a mout” (Translated: It is not what you say, but the actions you take.)

A local utility company did an advertising campaign called “How come” which showed Youngins asking the question “Home come” whenever they saw adults doing something that went against the rules and laws relating to the use of this utility. Brilliant!

You could talk until you are blue in the face to Youngins, they DO what they see you DO and not what you say (or tell them) to DO.

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My dears imagine this, a woman who loves the Lord God with all her heart, and she has her own family to take care of, but …

• Takes in others who need a home
• Cares for them and feeds them
• Runs a small cook shop to feed her family and ends up giving children lunch whose parents could not afford to pay
• Sends other children to school
• The first to encourage others to “keep on going”

Let our devotions (what we have faith in) be evident in our lives.

Want to leave a lifelong legacy? Live what you preach. (Selah)

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6. Talk about the meaning of legacy

Include the “legacy talk” in those dinner table conversations. Talk about those who have gone on and those who are still around that legacy is their hallmark.

What are some of those family legacy goals you are working towards?  Set aside time for updates, planning, and teachable moments. For instance:

• Family unity – those deliberate moves/activities that you work on to keep the family bond
• A side hustle/business you are working on
• Service/ministry you started or are members of – eg, feed the homeless, helping the disabled learn new skills, tutoring students from low income homes, etc.

Take every opportunity to squeeze in legacy talk.

7. Give back

Use what you have in service to others. I don’t know about you, but helping others makes me feel good. What are you good at? Find a way to give it in service to others.

There is this lady, who loves to cook (I have it on good authority that her cooking sell off). This love has now been turned into a full-blown ministry! She has managed to mobilize a bunch of persons with a similar passion, and on specific days the kitchen is a buzz and a sweet mouth-watering aroma emanates from it. The reason? Simply to provide a hot meal for those in need.

Here is another example. A few months ago I came across a news feed that featured a hairstylist who started a programme where she, along with a battalion of scissors wielding professionals, descends on the “homeless block” in her neighbourhood and everybody (men and women, boys and girls) gets their hair, nails, and makeup done. Oh, this is not a one-off event! You should hear the recipients talk about what this consistent act of service does for them!

Then there is a near and dear friend that volunteers at an NGO (Not for Profit) as a counselor. This is his passion and professional discipline, and he willingly serves others with it.

So that is one component, let me change the script a little.

I am a big proponent of “teaching people to fish” and this for me is one of the best ways to serve. If you ask me to do something for you, come with a notepaper and a pen, because it is usually a teachable moment, especially if I know this is something you don’t know how to do for yourself.

Additionally, if you say to me for instance, “Rona V could you help me write my resume?” My follow-up is always, “Show me what you got.” Let’s just say that “nothing” will be met with, “Go research and put something together.”

But Rona V the person came to you for help! Trust my dears, I am helping. I am here to teach (help) you to do, not do for you. What if I am not around, then what?! Or, what if someone then turns and asks you for help, can you?!

Always, always, always come to the table with something.

True story …

A friend of mine gives back (serves in a particular ministry) at her local church and wanted help with a presentation on a specific topic. Her request for help came with an outline, information on the topic, and possible activities for the session. Guess who immediately flipped into action? Why? She came to the table with something.

40-Forwarders do you see what I am getting at? If being of service (volunteering) was never on your radar, or it was but it has somehow waned, it is not too late. 🙂 For the newbies, do a self-inventory and see what you have that can be of service to others. Those of you who are somewhere on the continuum, reset and restart. This is a great legacy move!

Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?”

Martin Luther King Jr

There really was no better time to pen this article. In Jamaica, for the month of August, we have triple celebrations, which all point to the legacy that our nation has built and continues to build. Rona V, you miscounted! Did I now?! Count with me …

The value of your legacy, my legacy, our legacy is found in how well we use our aptitudes (talents, skills, abilities) and in us demonstrating the right attitudes. If we cultivate and nurture these good practices in ourselves, now we will have something of value to pass on.

Oh before I go …

Aptitude & Attitude done right can translate into dollars and cents! 😉

Drop in the Comments any stories/examples of person(s) who are doing “legacy” right and you can say, “What a legacy!” Do SHARE this post!