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Intentional Leadership — D2, W2, M7 — Legacy

As you are no doubt aware, building a legacy takes time. In fact, it takes intentionality, hard work, time, commitment, and the willingness to simply give — to be unselfish.

As we discussed yesterday, giving back is a critical component of building a legacy. Today, I encourage you to spend some time giving this idea some serious thought. Get your journal out and make two columns; the left side can be narrower than the right.

In the left column, make this list, running down the page: Time, money, ability, example, “stuff”, influence. Next to each item, leave some space for ranking.

In the right column, leave space for writing out examples of each item that you have to give.

Now for the ranking – rank each item in order of how much you are doing to build your legacy, with 1 being little or nothing and 6 being a lot. Then go back and write out what you are already doing in each area. Then, in a different colored pen, write out what you could be doing that would be more meaningful in each area. If you’re willing to really commit, put down some specific actions and deadlines, and then share your list with someone you trust, who will be willing to support you in this endeavor, and who will encourage you to hold yourself accountable.

I would love to hear what’s on your list; use the comments box below to share your thoughts!

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W1, M7 — Legacy

Good morning, and Happy 5th of July! Hope you all enjoyed a marvelous day yesterday, with family, friends, and celebration of all that’s great!

My day, yesterday, was a bit off-track. I had intended to get a lot of work done on my computer, but the internet wasn’t really working. All the signals said it was fine, but it wouldn’t fully load any pages until much later in the evening. Consequently, I got a lot of cleaning done and cut the grass (more like mowing hay!) in my back yard, finishing about 5 minutes before the rain began to come down! Guess it was meant to be how I should spend the day. Got some of the computer work done before bed last night (that’s right — I did not watch any fireworks, although I heard plenty in my neighborhood).

And here we are, at Friday, again!

I have a couple of coaching sessions today, and will have dinner with someone new looking for information about coaching and mentoring. And, I will indulge my love of handmade arts and crafts by attending what I understand to be a large Arts & Crafts fair (large — at least by West Virginia standards; the ones I used to attend in Washington would easily have 400 artisans in attendance, displaying their wares) this afternoon. Hopefully, the rain will hold off until I’m done!

As I typically do on weekends, I will study, write, and prepare the content for the next lesson in my Empowerment Mentoring program: “Attitude.” This is powerful content and I’m having fun with it. I have some errands to run, and some people I need to take the time to reconnect with. I will be meeting with a group of John Maxwell Team Coaches Monday evening, and am planning a trip to visit family later in the month. So, lots to do. And, still trying to catch up on my sleep.

What about you…what are you up to this weekend and in the weeks ahead?

As you know, I encourage those I work with to be intentional — thoughtful about how they spend their time and energy. I hope you are taking this to heart; it makes a tremendous difference in what you are able to accomplish and how you feel about yourself in the process.

I look forward to hearing the stories of what you are up to!

Have a great weekend, and I’ll “see” you Monday!

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Intentional Leadership — D4, W1, M3 — Legacy

Happy Independence Day, for those of you who celebrate such days!

What better day than this to spend some time in reflection?

Now that you’ve written the obituary you would want to be published when you go, what is true about where you are in life today?

What might you need to change in your life to achieve your desires…to create the legacy you want to leave?

What directional shifts will you need to make?

Who can you enlist to support you in this endeavor?

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