Do you take the time to think about the legacy you are leaving for your family, friends and community? Are your beliefs, actions and results carving the legacy that you will be proud of? American author and poet, Dr. Maya Angelou recently passed away and her life’s journey carved not one but two significant legacies, an amazing feat for sure.
Dr. Angelou leaves behind a body of important artistic work that has influenced generations. Her poetry is beautiful and moving and her book, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, tells a significant story about racism and it’s effects on society.
Additionally, Dr. Angelou was known as a good person, and someone who pushed for education, justice and equality.
Dr. Angelou lived a sometimes tragic, influential, and inspiring life. She made the world around her a better place. Ultimately, she lived her life fulfilling her accountability to both the people she knew and the world in which she lived.
What legacy do your actions create? How far reaching is your influence? For what will you be known? Whether as an individual or as an organization, we have the ability to impact the lives of many people. It may be easy to look past that opportunity but we are accountable to the people around us to fulfill our promise and make a difference. Accountability is keeping your commitments to people. Some of those commitments are stated but I also believe that we have unstated commitments. We have responsibilities to those around us.
Look at your world in three areas. Look at your family, your professional life and your community. In the past 30 days what have you done to leave the kind of legacy that Dr. Angelou has left? You may be thinking that I’m asking you to compare yourself to a remarkable individual in human history. You’re right. But, each of us has the opportunity to be a remarkable individual. Anything less and we would be wasting potential.
Take the time to evaluate your past actions and then invest your energy to plot the impact and results you would like to have tomorrow. Decide the most important first step and then take it.
I’m sitting here imagining what our world will be like when you become an accountable force of nature!
