Last Saturday was less eventful than the previous one. The alarm caught me in bed. Our strange cat followed her routine, and I jogged without seeing many cars or pedestrian traffic.
Despite the normality of Saturday, it reminded me of some content to share with you. In December of 2021, I promised to share a story surrounding the legacy I plan to leave behind. If you remember last year's final post, I told you about my father's legacy, which can be summarized in four words beginning with the letter “F.”
If you have a potty mouth, one of the “Fs” is not a word you would be ashamed to say in front of your mother! Faith, Family, Finances, and Fitness capture the tangible and intangible aspects of my father’s life that he intends to leave with me and my sisters.
Why should you continue to read this post? You don't care about my legacy. Aren’t there more pressing things to discuss like Russia and US Politics, flooding in Southern Africa, or the latest covid numbers? I get it. On the world stage, multiple acts are vying for your attention.
Read this entry because it will help you identify legacy-driven goals despite everything happening this week. Start with thinking about a small task you can commit to that will benefit your family.
This year, I reinstated a Saturday routine from 2016. When we moved abroad, I prepared Saturday morning breakfast for the family before leaving for my intense weekend warrior training sessions. Recently, things have changed because of my children's frequently evolving sports activities.
However last Saturday, about one hour before the sun traveled from the other side of the world, I returned to making breakfast. I made French toast, oatmeal, and coffee. Then, I left a note with instructions and an approximate return time from my run. I also let the cat out and trained the dog for about ten minutes.
During my long run, the streets were empty. I had plenty of space to think without the anxieties of dodging cars in the dark and avoiding pedestrians with potential covid infections.
While chasing my race pace of 8’00" minutes per mile, the words of love, adventure, and discipline came to me.
I am sure you've heard that God is love. No, I am not comparing myself to God. Although I am a reflection of The Creator, I have flaws like you. By indicating that love is something that I want to leave behind, I am referencing the decisions I execute every day.
It’s love that pushes me to wake early, prepare breakfast for my family, and take care of our pets. Love encourages me to write, teach, and advocate. When I advise students, coach clients, and create courses, love guides these activities.
In operating from a space of love, I believe God uses me in meaningful ways. When I am gone, I hope my acts of love inspire my children and others to get to know God for their selves.
The adventure layer to my legacy gets stacked each year I remain abroad. Getting outside of my comfort zone is where I encounter the critical challenges to excel.
Each run I complete on Antigua's dark and narrow streets reinforces my commitment to adventure.
The word discipline is one of my body's many tattoos. When I want to quit a difficult task, I can look at my forearm and activate the mental and physical muscles to push forward. On more than one occasion, I have glanced at my body's permanent ink for support to write, exercise, eat healthy foods, or leave work to fulfill family responsibilities.
Discipline forces you to ignore ego and do what's vital for your health, family, and community.
Before I returned home last Saturday to take my children to their sports practices, I assumed they finished breakfast and took care of their chores before turning on any electronic devices. I was wrong. I walked into the house to find them watching YouTube and unprepared to leave.
I was frustrated but grateful to have at least one more moment to help my children prepare for living up to and beyond my legacy. Unfortunately, we had another fatal accident involving a pedestrian this week in Antigua.
Frame your goals this quarter with how you want your family, friends, and communities to remember your life. I suggest prayer, meditation, exercise, journaling, and talking with a close friend or relative to figure out what you want in life. It takes a lot to clarify the goals aligned with your unique life mission.
Finishing another round of revisions on my novel is one of my goals to complete by March 31, 2022. This goal requires revisiting about 22 pages per day before April! Last Saturday’s run helped clarify this daunting writing goal.
Use legacy and maybe some exercise for guidance with identifying your priorities in 2022. Drop one of your goals in the comments below and subscribe to this blog if you dare.
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