Legacy
"Something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past ."
Many times I think about my legacy. In different coffee talks with people who know me (and many who do not), when I speak about a particular project, they say to me: "Do you want that to be your legacy?".
The reality is that many times thinking of a legacy sounds even arrogant. Why should we believe that everything we do will be valuable enough to be left to future generations? So important are we, or the things we do?
However, it is true that sometimes we unconsciously think about what we will be leaving our children, or people who will replace us in our endeavours or projects. He who thinks he is the center of the universe and can not see beyond himself is the real arrogant or narcissistic. The one who believes himself to be the sole owner of the projects and who struggles to keep information and "properties" close at hand so that no one can take it from them is the one who can not really pass on to posterity, because deep down he is afraid to realize that he is really not special at all.
Being able to work thinking of giving a better future to our children is perhaps the first way to leave a legacy. Whether helping them with their education, a roof, a loving family environment, or the construction of their projects, is how we first start with our legacy.
At best, what we build will really help more people, and achieve the value that perhaps only we see today.
But this is achieved through selfless effort. Trying to leave something good behind us, but not seeking constant recognition from others. He who lives to prove himself, only shows an insecurity and a fear that is perceived by all those who treat him, or who have heard of him. The narcissist only manages to see legacies in the mirror, convincing himself of his own importance, or trying to take over the achievements of others to try to convey them as his own. That rarely leaves anything lasting, and the saddest thing is the amount of resources wasted on that path.
Let's start with what we have close, trying to make this world a little bit better, even for our children or our loved ones, and then push our limits of influence to see what else we can do. Without realizing it, we will be leaving something really good.
Many times I think about my legacy. In different coffee talks with people who know me (and many who do not), when I speak about a particular project, they say to me: "Do you want that to be your legacy?".
The reality is that many times thinking of a legacy sounds even arrogant. Why should we believe that everything we do will be valuable enough to be left to future generations? So important are we, or the things we do?
However, it is true that sometimes we unconsciously think about what we will be leaving our children, or people who will replace us in our endeavours or projects. He who thinks he is the center of the universe and can not see beyond himself is the real arrogant or narcissistic. The one who believes himself to be the sole owner of the projects and who struggles to keep information and "properties" close at hand so that no one can take it from them is the one who can not really pass on to posterity, because deep down he is afraid to realize that he is really not special at all.
Being able to work thinking of giving a better future to our children is perhaps the first way to leave a legacy. Whether helping them with their education, a roof, a loving family environment, or the construction of their projects, is how we first start with our legacy.
At best, what we build will really help more people, and achieve the value that perhaps only we see today.
But this is achieved through selfless effort. Trying to leave something good behind us, but not seeking constant recognition from others. He who lives to prove himself, only shows an insecurity and a fear that is perceived by all those who treat him, or who have heard of him. The narcissist only manages to see legacies in the mirror, convincing himself of his own importance, or trying to take over the achievements of others to try to convey them as his own. That rarely leaves anything lasting, and the saddest thing is the amount of resources wasted on that path.
Let's start with what we have close, trying to make this world a little bit better, even for our children or our loved ones, and then push our limits of influence to see what else we can do. Without realizing it, we will be leaving something really good.
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