UXL Blog

In my retirement years, I’ve been thinking a lot about legacy. What are the things a person leaves behind as they walk through life? How will people remember you? What influences will you pass along to family, friends, and co-workers?

To me, there are two types of legacies:

1. The capital-L Legacy is the overarching legacy, the way you’ll be remembered after you pass on.
2. The lowercase-l legacy is the briefer, shorter-term one, the impact you have on those around you on a daily basis.

Both types of legacies are important, and this week I will be focusing on the capital-L Legacy, the one that deals with your long-term impact. (My next post will address “everyday legacy,” so stay tuned!)

Everyone makes their mark on history, whether in a soft, subtle way or in a visible, major way. In reality, most of us will have a smaller ripple than the big names in history, but that’s okay! Even if you can positively impact five or ten people, that’s a Legacy worth leaving.

Keep in mind, your Legacy goes beyond money or finances (although philanthropy, charitable giving, and estate planning could be part of it). Your Legacy might be tied to your volunteer work, or your generous and loving spirit, or the way you prioritize your family. It might be rooted in your dedication to your career and all the people you supported and mentored along the way. Or it could be tied to your faith and your involvement in your worship community.

Legacy could also be tied to the things you created—photographs you took, woodworking projects you created, paintings you made, or essays you wrote. For years, I’ve worked with Kate Leibfried, founder of Click Clack Writing, and she often focuses on this type of work (ghostwriting memoirs and business books for her clients). Recently, she spoke about this type of Legacy in a webinar for Everbright Legacy Law. One of her main messages was that words (particularly those that come from the heart and are not AI generated) have staying power. If you want to tell your true, authentic story, what’s stopping you? Everyone has a story to tell, and it could be worth writing it down.

Keep in mind, big-picture Legacies do not happen overnight. They are the result of years of living authentically, planning, giving, and being involved. As a thought exercise, consider this: What would people write in your memorial or obit today? If you are unsure or if you don’t think they would write what you’d want to hear, consider how you might change that. If you want to be known for your generosity, start planning how to amplify your giving. If you want to leave a Legacy of good works/volunteerism, figure out how to do that. If you’d like to leave behind your physical creations, start making more art!

Just make sure you’re doing what feels authentically and wholly you. A Legacy doesn’t have to be flashy or loud. It should simply reflect who you are at your core.

MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS® DISCOVERY (AND DEEPER DISCOVERY) LICENSED PRACTITIONER, AND FOUNDER OF UXL. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE.

Tags: capital L legacy, defining your legacy, legacy work, Margaret Smith life coach, Margaret Smith Minneapolis career coach, what will you leave behind