Legacy: It Is The Purpose Of Life!

At birth, we are celebrated because those who love us are happy we arrived.

Each year, we are celebrated because we made it another rotation around the sun.

Each of those celebrations is memorable, however, they pale in comparison to the celebration we receive when our time expires.

That's because our final celebration will be a recap of the impact we made on others since our first celebration.

I once felt birthday celebrations were important until I discovered the importance of legacy.

I define legacy as "the story people tell about the impact you made on their lives."

And believe it or not, you can influence the narrative of that story by discovering the answer to life's most important question...

"Why am I here?"

Very few people ever discover the answer to that question for a multitude of reasons.

However, those who find their answer, live differently because they have discovered they are here for a larger purpose.

It has become a cliche for many, however, what really matters is what you do with "the dash."

The dash is the line between our birth and death dates on our tombstone. It represents?the life we've lived. Ultimately, what really matters is compressed into one tiny line. That dash represents the time we spend doing what we love in life.

For example, over the past week, the dash ended for three of the most impactful leaders in their fields.

Betty White (American Actress)

Betty Marion White Ludden was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of early television, with a career spanning seven decades, White was noted for her vast work in the entertainment industry.

Betty White helped us laugh and caused many to cry through her gift of comedy. For me, Ms. White will forever be remembered for her role as oddball Rose Nylund?in “The Golden Girls” in the 1980s.

Desmond Tutu (South African Theologian)

Desmond Mpilo Tutu OMSG CH GCStJ was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. Mr. Tutu was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996, in both cases being the first black African to hold the position.

In addition to his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist, for me, he will be remembered for his fight to reduce harmful greenhouse gases.

At his request, the Nobel Peace Prize winner's body underwent Aquamation -- considered to be a greener alternative to cremation.

Aquamation is a water-based process whose scientific name is "alkaline hydrolysis", in which a "combination of gentle water flow, temperature, and alkalinity is used to accelerate the breakdown of organic materials" when a body is laid to rest in soil, according to Bio-Response Solutions, a US company which specializes in the process.

John Madden (Football Coach & Broadcaster)

John Earl Madden was an American football coach and sportscaster. He was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League for ten seasons and guided them to a championship in Super Bowl XI.

Most people aren't aware Mr. Madden started his career in the NFL with?the Philadelphia Eagles?as a 1958 draft pick.

That said, for me and millions of others, we will remember Mr. Madden for the iconic videogame that will carry his name for many years to come.

What legacy will they discuss at the end of your dash?

To answer that question, I believe we must first discover WHY we do what we love.

For me, my WHY is "I do what I do to demonstrate Servant Leadership so we can transform the world through business."

As leaders, I don't believe enough of us have discovered our answer to life's most important question.

That's because finding the deeper reason WHY we get out of bed each morning and show up to do the work we love, is difficult.

However, I believe, once you discover your WHY, you can begin to actively write your legacy.

Here's the exercise I completed to discover my WHY while participating in a course offered by Simon Sinek.

We do what we do to ___________, so we can __________.

It is a simple exercise, however, I promise it is an exercise worth the practical application.

If you have discovered your answer to life's most important question, let us know what it is in the comments.

If you believe more of us need to have this conversation and discover our WHY, share this with your network.

Then go out and start writing a better legacy.