Season One | Episode 1 Listen: Apple Podcast | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Anchor
At Revolve Learning, when we think of the concept of legacy, we think about putting a stamp on the future and making a contribution to generations to come. People want to leave a legacy because they want to feel that their life mattered. Let's reflect on what the concept of LEGACY means to you, then prepare to have this conversation with the young people we love.
For my teachers and school leaders, check out our bonus Educator Edition episode, talking about how this concept of legacy can be discussed with your students. You have your very own version of the Questions to Connection worksheet with a sweet little teaching tip included… Check it out at revolvelearning.com/q2c!
Can I get a little vulnerable with you? I'll imagine you said sure, girl, go head here… lol
I shared a little bit about the inspiration behind this podcast being my child and our relationship. My greatest fear is the 3 ofs— what is that? … should of, could of, would of…When I think of legacy, I never thought of money or a will… perhaps its because I never really had the conversation growing up, or because I work in a profession of service now.
When I think about the word legacy, what comes up is how I want to be remembered, my character, the work ethic, creativity, innovation, but not necessarily the fruits of the labor in the monetary sense. Even though, I do believe it is important, and it is something I'm still unpacking and discovering how I want to impact my son's life financially, with wisdom, and resources…
I'm honored to be at this place of giving back and sharing on my own terms. It's what I feel put on this planet to do, and that is a great feeling. This is the culmination of every experience and lesson I have learned. I urge you to think of what you are doing and legacy in that way. What does the culmination of your life work build into? What do you need to do to make that known to those around you?
I feel prepared now more than ever to have this conversation about legacy with my now 9 year old. Even though I'm doing this to connect with everyone and anyone who is impacting the life of a younger person, this podcast in and of itself will be apart of my legacy as he will have these recordings long after I am gone.
I was listening to Ed Mylett speak on a podcast recently, where he shared this concept that rocked me to my core and made me look in the mirror on this and start asking some hard and honest questions.
He said, "Their whole view of what is possible in life is through the prism of YOUR life! It's not good enough just to love them, you have to become the best version of yourself possible so that their view of what they can do is based on the example you set. "
We tell our kids what we have been conditioned to believe from our parents and teachers——You can do anything you put your mind to? Be anything you want to be? — and we repeat these quite lofty motivational phrases to our kids and students. But, are we actually living and showing up in our children's lives in contradiction to that concept of the world is your oyster, and you can be anything you want to be?
Let me explain what I mean…
We get to a point in life where we start to reflect on who our parents really are through the brand spanking new glasses of our own adult experience. We look at them in the back half of their lives from the top of our own hill. We can either see their joy factor, the results of everything they worked so hard for… the actual fruit and products of the countless times they used a phrase like "I work my tail off so you can…(insert their hopes and dreams for your life)" We see it, feel it, believe it… and we are passing on stories about them genuinely living their dream…
On the flip side of that, we might see the lack thereof, and they may not be living out the dreams the mentioned that they had for their lives. We may hear them say that they believe it is too late for them. They may have become complacent and just surviving each day. This is not about lack of resources or opportunity, some people really are making the best out of what they have, and we know that. I'm more so talking about when we hear people vocalize, "one day… I'm going to start on Monday… I wish I could… If I only had…"
So I'm wondering... when we think of the older adults that influenced our mindset about how we dream… and our understanding of the legacy we leave behind...what is it making us say to our kids? But more importantly, what is it making us SHOW our kids? They hear us… but what will they see?… and what will they say?
After sitting with this for a while… I'm like man, have I just been pouring these little motivation phrases into young people and not showcasing them myself… Am I having a conversation with them, so they know why I do what I do?
For example... I've have been working on this podcast for the longest, and I was telling my son I was going to record. I had so many excuses as to why I wasn't, many because of fear and my own issues with perfectionism paralysis. The mic setup is screwed into my dining room table. My son came home from school while I was editing that intro episode and heard me mention his name. The look on his face was priceless when he heard me talking about him and our relationships in that way. He just looked so proud and was literally jumping for joy excited for me. That's it right there…he heard me talking about it, but it is another thing when he saw me working for and doing it
So, I challenge you to think through this process… What you value most in this world? What are you doing to show that you are working towards your goals? What is your dream for your legacy? Then ask some intentional questions and listen to the young people in your life that will tell your story long after you are gone. Ask questions such as... what do you think I value most in this life? Why do you think I work?
This can be an eye-opening conversation…but also an opportunity to share your hopes for your legacy in the future and how they are participating in that?
The big takeaway here is to not assume that they know why you do the things you do:
A young person won't contribute to or appreciate the legacy you are leaving them if they never heard the word or made sense of the concept with someone they trust…
As promised, we are here to help you walk through this conversation, and our Questions to Connections worksheet for this legacy episode is ready for you here.