Who Are You?

Who are you? When you die, what will you be remembered for? What acts of yours will become stories told from generation to generation? Will those stores be about acts of heroic deeds, or will they remain exclusively in your high school days—or will there even be stories at all?

If you were to die today, would you be happy with the legacy you’re leaving behind; or do you feel like now is the time to strive for more? Leaving a lasting legacy is important. The majority of us will most likely not be immortalized in marble and spoken about in history books, but that should not be the deterrent that stops you from seeking to live a life that leaves a legendary legacy to those who mean the most to you. Often times that pursuit works hand-in-hand with being a good person. We must strive to live a life wherein our deeds serve as a marker of our character. What’s more is to set out to live this kind of life with the intention to be a good example (not just to the youth, but to your peers as well) in specific instances or under whatever conditions you’re facing. Because we have all faced a situation where we were able to draw inspiration—or motivation—from someone else who was able to overcome the same obstacle; we need to be those kinds of people for ourselves and for others.

We have all been in the position where we listen to someone tell a story about something just to have someone else interject with another story (either about themselves or someone else) with similar circumstances, and how that person handled that situation. Often those stories have elements of humor in them, which is fine, but we should also be concerned that how many of our stories are strictly silly, humorous, or in jest. Are the stories people tell about you entirely wrapped around drug-filled exploits, fueled by alcohol, and/or always about you being an asshole? That’s not a great legacy to leave behind if you were to die today. Yes, of course, there are exceptions to that but they are just that, exceptions. (You are not Carlos Santana on an accidental psychedelic voyage playing “Soul Sacrifice” at Woodstock). Be the hero you wanted to have when you were a child. Strive to live a life that’s not only worth living, but one that is capable of inspiring. Leave a legacy.