Living The Legacy

When I was just a little girl,

I asked my mother, 'What will I be?
'Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?'

Here's what she said to me

Que Sera, Sera, whatever will be will be

 “I maybe here for a short while, gone tomorrow into oblivion or until the days come to take me away. But, in whatever part you play, be remembered as part of a legacy...of sharing dreams and changing humanity for the better. It's that legacy that never dies” Thomas Scott

When each of us was born, we were given a number for example, 13/5/1961. That number was then recorded onto a piece of paper and given as a birth certificate. When you die you are again given another number, for example, 13/5/2048. This again is written onto another piece of paper, known this time as your death certificate. Once these two numbers have been recorded, they are then both placed alongside each other and inscribed upon your gravestone albeit, separated by an insertion known simply as the dash. The inserted dash separating these two sets of numbers is cold, but nevertheless is an accurate symbol representing a life once lived, led and left to those stood mourning. This dash almost seems insignificant, yet it symbolises a specific God-given timeframe in which an individual was given to run their personal life’s race. Though some lived out their lives as though they were running in a 400 metres sprint race, others chose to pace themselves for the long haul of marathon living. The dash is cold, yet silent, for it speaks powerfully of what one’s life once stood for, along with the character it once represented for never has so much been summed up by such a minute symbol. 

How we die may not be within our power or the circumstances in which we pass away, but what we do have however is the ability to make choices and decisions, as choices empower us in taking control of our lives. Whether we are conscious of it or not, every day we draw breath, life is recording how each and every one of us is living and leading our life whilst in the dash of time. It is because of this sobering thought that attention must be given as to the type of life that one chooses to live and lead so it can be passed on to others. To revaluate or re-adjust ones life at this point could potentially create a different kind of future by such a choice being made. The truth is, to ignore the concept of becoming a legacy leaver completely will undoubtedly place you, at your passing, alongside the other billion forgotten gravestones that are scattered throughout the world. Now, is that what you really want?

Que Sera, Sera, whatever will be, will be

Not wishing to appear ageist in any way but hopefully, you, like me, have heard at some point whether via the radio or the TV, the 1950’s hit song by Doris Day ‘Que Sera, Sera’ . This is a song that I have often alluded to when illustrating a point whether in public speaking or when writing materials, but just in case you are not familiar with the song, let me share the lyrics with you.

When I was just a little girl,
I asked my mother, 'What will I be?
'Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?'

Here's what she said to me:

'Que sera, sera,
'Whatever will be, will be;
'The future's not ours to see.

'Que sera, sera,
'What will be, will be.

When I grew up and fell in love,
I asked my sweetheart, 'What lies ahead?
'Will we have rainbows day after day?'
Here's what my sweetheart said:

Now I have children of my own,
They ask their mother, 'What will I be?
'Will I be handsome? Will I be rich?'
I tell them tenderly:

Even though this is just a song, the sentiment seems to parallel so much of today’s attitudes when it comes to living life. Try to see how many parallels you can identify. The first impression that hits you as you sing along is the phrase ‘Que Sera, Sera what will be, will be’ which is repeatedly given as some kind of naïve ignorance meant to pacify a person from knowing and pursuing one’s personal destiny and future. The young girl asks her mother whether she will be pretty or will she be rich, the reply being that we’ll just have to wait and see; Que Sera, Sera. The girl at this point makes the same mistake many people make when closing their eyes and peering into the future of what might be; day dreaming. The first rule of dreaming is that you must wake up in order for the dream to be pursued and here lies the problem with encouraging people to build and pursue a legacy life. Notice the girl’s so-called vision casting really centres around her own low self esteem for she is found repeatedly asking others for reassurance; ‘will I be pretty’?, ‘will I be rich?’ and ‘will there be rainbows day after day?’ It seems that this young girl is so preoccupied with her own individuality that it appears as though she is afraid of embracing her own future. The song then progresses and her life is fast forwarded to where she has now fallen in love with her fiancé. She then asks him for reassurance as to what their marital future will look like and should they tie the knot, to which he answers, yes, you guessed it ‘Que Sera, Sera, what will be, will be’, which are not very assuring words to give one’s bride-to-be. Finally, the song finishes with a scene of the young married mother acquiring children of her own and just as she once asked her own mother questions of ‘what will be, will be’, her children are now are asking her the same type of questions.  

What this song teaches us though, keeping in mind this is just a song, is that Que Sera, Sera is an attitude found very much alive in almost every generation. People live without direction, without hope and without vision thus leaving life down to either chance or luck. The greatest lie sung in this song is the lie that the future is not ours to see. It is this lie that causes and creates in people directionless and hopeless living. The future is very much ours to see. All it takes is for one to wake up and make a decision then give that decision wholehearted responsibility towards a specific direction, for this is the power of a legacy.  The next thing we see is that day-dreaming is being confused for vision casting. The aim and objective of writing to you, the reader, regarding living and leading one’s legacy is to encourage you to wake up and stop day-dreaming for day-dreaming is fictitious and unreal and has no variables. Wake up, my friends, and see the future. Smell the coffee, as it were, and seize the day. Begin living life towards the greatest power given to man - that of one’s legacy. Lastly, through the use of vision casting, one is able to stop the mentality and disease found alive with many a generation. Three whole generations of people in this song have fallen foul to the thought that life is down to chance, luck and pre-random lottery outcomes, rather than by choices. The question of whether life will be filled with rainbows day after day will ultimately be dependent upon one taking full responsibility for their own life. With responsibility, one then has to lead their life towards an aim, goal or objective which is direction and forward movement, for to do this consciously, wholeheartedly and decisively will no doubt result in one’s legacy being left. 

The power of a choice and a decision

The power of choice denotes that each and every one of us has both the right and power to be able to make a personal, private and individual choice. It also denotes that the right to make a choice empowers a person with alternatives and options, rather than life being down to random outcomes. The power of decision, however, is the power to be able to make the right judgment or the right conclusion which then determines an outcome. People may say, ‘what rights do I have?’ along with ‘what decisions can I make for I have no power to change things?’ to which I say, you are absolutely wrong. Every person who entered this world did not enter it by choice, for it was a choice that was made by one’s parents. We did not choose what nursery to attend; neither did we choose our teachers who taught us, as these again were provided for our benefit. We may not choose the date or the place of our passing; we cannot even choose the weather or the amount of sunlight received in any given day. We understand that around the world right now, there are countless people who are having their human rights violated, overturned and ignored, yet understanding this, people still have rights. However, there is a right that no government, no politician, no factory boss, no mother or father can take away, and that is the right to love, to hate, to forgive and to forget. To do this simply means that one has to exercise the right, whether that is the right to choose or the right to make a conclusion, for it is this right that no social, political, religious or industrial power can take away. 

Understanding this right, the question therefore must now be to ask oneself is ‘what choice or decision will I make from here on in?’ Will you make a choice to live and to lead in order that your legacy be left, and if so, what kind of legacy do want to live and leave to your children’s children, for to answer this question will now determine the type of life that has to be lived, along with the responsibilities needed to be undertaken. 

Questions to ask Oneself

1. What type of legacy do I ultimately want to leave at my passing? (Get a clear mental picture in your mind, asking yourself is my legacy to be a financial, spiritual, moral or a sporting legacy?) 

2. How am I currently living my life to date? (What are my blind spots? Am I a person who attracts people or repels people? Am I really that interested in other people like I think I am? Do I listen to people because I have to or because I am genuinely interested in them?) 

3. What new responsibilities do I need to undertake (What training or help do I need and who or where do I get it from?)

4. Am I in good shape today; physically, emotionally, spiritually, intellectually and habitually? (If the answer to any of these is ‘no’ then the likelihood is that if you do not seek help, the chances of you leaving a legacy become slimmer with every day that passes). 

Legacies do not work based on the law of the fictitious, such as ‘what will be, will be’ but instead, work based on individual’s taking complete responsibility and control for their lives in the here and now of everyday living.

Five spiritual questions that must be answered in order for a legacy to be lived and left victoriously 

1. Do you know what your life’s purpose is or have you discovered your reason for being on planet earth and if so have you begun the journey yet?

2. Are you aware of what you spiritually, intellectually and physically carry? (Meaning are you aware of the skill, gift, talent or grace that is upon your life and can you define it?)

3. Are you aware that the clock of your life is now ticking, even in times of procrastination and if so, do you know what time it is?

4. Are you aware that in tough times, you must learn to walk and think by the law of the umbrella, meaning that unless you build things around and into your life, life will try and rain down on your parade? A word to the wise; it’s best to buy an umbrella before it starts raining!

5. Have you a protégé, friend, college, family or project in mind that needs more of your time and attention? If so, why not begin right there?

All legacies must have a start and a finish, just like life has a beginning and an end, but what must be remembered is that though some people live their lives as though they will never die, others die like they have never lived. Mankind is the only race that lives life with strange peculiarities in that when man is bored with being young, he rushes to become old and when he becomes old, he wishes he was young again. He loses his health in order to make money, and then spends his money to regain his health. He becomes anxious about his future, so much so, that he forgets to live in the here and now of life. It is because of such peculiarities that we must awaken to ensure that all that is good and great within us does not die at our passing, but instead, is transferred across into those who are waiting for us to take the lead in living, leading and leaving that which we carry.