I believe that the true measure of a person is not found in what they do when they know people are watching, but rather how they conduct themselves even when they think no one is watching. Are you always cordial and empathetic when you deal with people, especially people who carry no sway over your life? When at the checkout at the supermarket, do you smile and greet the person behind the counter. When a beggar asks you for some spare change, do you pretend not to see them and stare into the distance or when walking down the street do you ignore everyone around you, as you get lost in your own thoughts and issues?
A smile or a greeting expressed to anyone you come into contact with each day, goes a long way towards making them feel better. Have you ever noticed how when you look someone in the eye, smile at them and offer them a hearty greeting, their mood immediately lifts and they smile straight back at you? Imagine how much better our world would be if we all invested time into smiling and greeting each other every day. A smile or a meaningful greeting costs nothing, but adds so much value to everyone around you. You have nothing to lose and the world has so much to gain from your greetings and smiles, give them away freely.
Your thoughts create you expectations and your expectations drive your creative capacity, which in turn creates your reality. So by consistently, smiling, greeting and acknowledging everyone around you, showing respect, caring and empathy for them, you are not only helping others to feel better about themselves, but you are helping yourself, by ensuring that you consistently think more positive thoughts too. We can all easily make our world a whole lot better, if we just allow ourselves to care.
Our time on this planet is fleeting, have you ever thought about the legacy you are going to leave behind. What would you like people to say about you after you have come to the end of this physical experience? We have an amazing ability as humans, where we can project ourselves forward into the future and visualise our lives, as they could be. Sit for a moment and project yourself forward to that day when you have come to the end of your physical experience and someone is preparing to celebrate your life with a short message about who you were. What would you like that person to say about you?
Based on what your life is demonstrating right now and the daily actions you are taking. Is the message that is being delivered, exactly what you would want or expect it to be? If it is not then what would you want them to be saying? Based on the message you would want to hear, bring yourself back to where you find yourself right now and ask yourself what you need to do differently to ensure that you live the kind of life, you will be proud of and will add real value to everyone around you.
Eleanor Roosevelt epitomised this when she said “Life is like a parachute jump, you have to get it right the first time” The life you are leading every day is not a dress rehearsal, it is the real deal. Every decision you make or fail to make is shaping how your life will turn out and the legacy you will leave behind. Is the way you are living your life meaningful and allowing you to feel fulfilled? Are the actions you are taking every day, going to allow someone to say the words you would want to hear them say, when you have moved on from this world?
If you are a leader, have you ever given your legacy any thought? Everyone leaves some kind of legacy. You can either choose to coast through life and see what comes your way as a leader, or you can choose to be intentional about building a meaningful legacy, which will leave something of value for the people, who come after you. Stop merely accepting everything in your life and start consciously “LEADING” your life to where you want it to go. You can only coast in one direction.
Choose to become proactive about the way you live .As each day passes your thoughts and actions are being inscribed in your book of life. As each hour passes, an unchangeable record is being made, which will stand for all time. What message do you want to be written in the record of your life? Do you want it to be a record of a noble purpose, where you offered generous service to those around you and you performed at your best every day? Or do you want it to be an account of all the times you attended happy hour, sat in front of the TV and never extended yourself beyond your comfort zone? How your life unfolds from this moment forward is 100 % dependant on the thoughts you think, the decisions you make or fail to make and the actions you take.
Are you going to continue to coast through life and never really feel content or satisfied? Or are you going to make a few different choices from now on, which will allow you to escape from that self-imposed comfort zone and allow you to begin exploring the limits of your potential? Making the better choice, to become all you can be, will allow you to live a life of meaning and fulfilment and will also allow you to pass the baton on, to someone after you leave, so that they can continue the work you started.
Elton Trueblood said it so well; when he said “We have made at least a start in discovering the meaning of human life, when we plant shade trees, under which we know full well we will never sit” The best leaders always strive to develop other leaders, who will be equipped to carry the legacy they started forward. You have the ability to project yourself forward and see how you will perform as a leader and the legacy you will leave. Use the picture of exactly what you want to achieve as a leader and the legacy you want to leave behind after you leave, to start driving your thoughts, decisions and actions today and you can create exactly that legacy for yourself.
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