Leaving a legacy
The new success variant
We are a continuum. Just as we reach back to our ancestors for our fundamental values, so we, as guardians of that legacy, must reach ahead to our children and their children. And we do so with a sense of sacredness in that reaching.
Paul Tsongas
Success is overrated. I have come to realize that success is not what we pursue, it is who we become and what we are. It has multiple variants, meaning diverse things to different people. Because someone doesn’t fit into your definition mold of success doesn’t mean that he/she is not quite successful. I have come to observe that the variants of success could cut across the academic, business, spiritual, financial, relational, and even marital aspects of life. However, dissensions, arguments, and confusions build up when we attempt to belittle, deride, or even deny the areas of success of other people. We see their accomplishments as miniature compared to our supposed grandiose feats, holding ourselves to the light as examples of “true” success. Really?
I would know better as someone coming from a background laced with failures, that success is becoming a buzzword. After my academic recovery, I experienced another phase of failure in my adulthood where I couldn’t land a job with a steady paycheck, and being broke was gradually becoming a daily occurrence like brushing my teeth. Hold on a minute! I’ve already accepted, as a personal philosophy, that failure is part of the process toward achievement and success, and I’m not ashamed of all my failures. They are among the spices that have given savor to my essence. However, the game changer for me was that beyond my desire for success, there was a gravitational pull toward legacy. I was captivated by the thought of having accomplishments and creating impacts that far outlived me. Simply stated, I desire my works to be remembered after I’m long gone. Raise your hand if your thoughts have occasionally tinkered with such an idea in delight.
When the sun sets over your life, what will you be remembered for?
Legacy, in my own words, is to have lived larger than life itself. There’s this feeling of satisfaction knowing you gave of yourself and you gave unreservedly. Compared to success, legacy is more difficult to attain because it takes you out of the picture while giving allowance for other people to take center stage. It was Vitor Belfort who said: “Legacy is not what I did for myself. It’s what I’m doing for the next generation.” Legacy says, “There you are.” Success says “here I am.” Legacy is people-centered, success is self-centered. Legacy is intergenerational, success is for a lifetime (if maintained). Legacy is a core attribute of leadership while success is individual achievement. We would notice that throughout the pages of history, renowned men and women that left their imprint in the sands of time even after their demise came as a result of the legacy they built. They’ve been marked out as heroes and heroines whose contribution and intervention in human civilization brought about gigantic changes in the course of history. These men and women cut across civil rights activists, Nobel laureates, patriots, poets, politicians, socio-economic and cultural advocates.
One of these giants that come to mind is one of Africa’s most celebrated personality, the late Nelson Mandela, whose intervention against apartheid stirred the course of events in South-Africa to bring about inter-racial unity. Nelson Mandela can be described as someone who lived larger than life. He was beyond successful, he transcended his reach beyond his lifetime and the impact of his struggle is what we’re experiencing today, and what future generations would enjoy. Another example is Mother Theresa whose concern, generosity and love for starving children in India brought global recognition to the little nun of Calcutta. From Mother Theresa, we appreciate what it means to show love beyond our wordplay and rhetoric.
Finally, I hope that in terms of choice and priority, you’d choose and rank legacy highly because this is one of the pathways to charting a better course for humanity. Over to you Toastmaster of the day.