Midlife Heritages - The Dilemma of living for today or leading a heritage.
At midlife, you will come to realize that
The actions you took and the actions you did not take,
The decisions you made and the spells of indecisions,
The relationships you formed and the disconnections,
have all led you and formed the course of your life.
At midlife, you will also be contesting the usefulness of the length of life versus purposefulness and productivity in life.
You may also contemplate the twin concerns between dying and not having lived at all.
The deep questions yet unsaid could be -
Did I really live?
Was I truly alive?
Did I ever truly figure out what my life was really about?
What is my heritage?
This skews the existential questions into higher dimensions.
Should I remain loyal to my current career, business, investments and affiliations or should I think more about the future heritage?
Will my work, investment, and grace die with me?
Will I be able to live on many years after I am dead and gone?
It is time to reassess our priorities, investment, and do the needful. It is time to understand ourselves, to see what God has called us to do and to find the ideas for which we can happily live, love, transit to the next life.
Another question will be - Can I pursue a higher purpose that will engage and sustain me when I am 85 years old?
What do I need to do now to create a life of significance and to reduce the burden I may put on others at a very old age?
As I look back now, can I say I lived for myself or that I created a great life for many others?
Or was it just about me?
Will I find great people who will be committed to communicating with me at old age and develop great friendships because I invested in them today?
If life is a great big canvas, how much paint colours should I splash on it and how many pictures can I create with my imagination of possibilities for the future?
Go back ten years and audit your aliveness, existence, what can you see and what do you need to see?
This is not a time for pity parties, sadness, regrets, blame games or name calling. This is the time to get new paint colors, to open your imagination, and begin to write a new story in pictures, to add soundtracks, and to joyfully work towards making your heritage picture-story a reality.
Make no small plans for they have no capacity to stir men’s souls (JCM).
Blaise Pascal said “ If the whole world followed you, would it be a better world? ”
Don’t allow the mark of the past to limit your imagination. Set your eyes on creating a huge mark on the future through the heritage picture-story on your canvas.
Should I give my best to make the life of others better? People will be people, sometimes ungrateful or not just caring. Always remember, if there is a way to do it better find it.
You can never regret giving your best. It is better to hold yourself responsible to a higher standard than anybody else expects of you.
Regardless of the reactions of people, think big, and deliver great results and impact on the lives of others.
Remember, don’t treat people as bad as they are, treat them as good as you are.
When you finally succumb to death, the great value and legacy will continue to make you live on.
Start doing something meaningful, Purposeful, significant and heritage-based today.
Stay focused.
Watch out for our next post on Midlife Legacy
“Don’t treat people as bad as they are, treat them as good as you are“
Profound