Catching Up

About a month ago, I had a Zoom call with some of my former Spanish speaking teammates. In catching up, we talked a bit about life and our thoughts on it. I think that this was particularly relevant in light of some of the changes due to the pandemic.

Since I’ve started blogging, I made it a point of texting these friends to let them know when a new post was published. As a result, they have followed me from the very beginning. I talked to them a little about why I started writing. For readers, I have discussed it in the Hello World pieces (“Hello World” & “Hello World 2.0”) and elsewhere in the blog.

A-Ha Moment

So my friends and I talked about things including my reasons for writing. During the course of this part of the conversation, one of them said how I am leaving something behind for my son that will be evidence of the work that I have done (thank you, Lupita): a legacy. I came to realize that she was partially right.

Thinking About My Legacy

Right now, my son doesn’t really understand what I do, except that I write (“Daddy works on the computer”). The common denominator between the blog, him and I is the emphasis on self-improvement. Starting with myself, for some time, I have been interested in self-improvement. Currently, a lot of this interest is spiritually based. I believe that our time here is a blessing. If it is a blessing, I feel that we should make the best of ourselves to make the best of this allotted time. To do this, we should work to discover the gifts that we start with and those that we later develop. Along with developing these gifts, as often as possible, we should provide maximal effort. I have found that, often, the people that succeed are those that literally show up to work. What’s the point of being the perfect person, if you’re can’t show what you can do? Something else to consider: if less people that are capable don't show, then it makes it easier for you, by default, to demonstrate yourself. With proper attention to your weaknesses and the conscious effort to address them, you could improve with time. In those moments, with your “talent,” work ethic and that opportunity, you are poised to make a difference.

Regarding my son, I work to set him on a good path. There are some basic things that I work to teach him: among them, telling the truth, embracing the consequences of his actions and treating others with respect. Along with “doing the right thing,” I try to teach him that, while it’s not always the “easiest” route, it’s better because you don’t worry about unforeseen consequences, as you make it a point to avoid many “bad” situations.

Regarding my readers and audience, I think about the initial motivation. It might have evolved, but it truly hasn’t changed very much. In “Hello World 2.0,” I wrote,

“I love sharing resources that I’ve come across that have benefited me and I have the same hope for you.”

I have always liked sharing useful information with the people around me. When I quoted or referred to a great resource, I share it but, also, cite where I found that information. By sharing that resource, then maybe they could initiate their own self-improvement journey.

Connecting The Dots

I saw how there were numerous resources that I felt could be useful to others. Also, I came to realize how much I missed writing. For me, sharing resources with more people plus wanting to write again made me think to start this blog. I couldn’t tell you how many of the podcasts that I listened to recommended Squarespace to do a website, especially for those people (like me) that don’t have a lot of design experience. So when I realized that I didn’t really have any further real reasons to hesitate, I pulled the trigger and launched this blog.

So returning to my friend’s statement about the legacy for my son and discussing gifts and efforts in the Thinking About My Legacy section of this post, I feel that there are a few questions to start my son on directing his life over the long-term:

How do you plan today to use the time that you have to make an effort with your ability to make a difference? If you didn't try or do your best, what stood in your way?
If you were presented with an opportunity, how well did you present/market yourself? How did you perform?
Was there something that you could have started and improved with time? If you didn't start, do you think that you realistically underestimated your ability?

My Challenge To You

I hope that this piece provided you with some food for thought. Perhaps it made you start thinking about something that you’ve wanted to pursue. If there is something that our present circumstances has reminded us is of a sense of urgency. In certain contexts, some of us are reminded of “here today, gone tomorrow.” We are viscerally reminded about constant change. With this being the case, there is no better time to start than now, today.

“I realized that on a scale of 1-10, 1 being nothing and 10 permanently life-changing, my so called worst-case scenario might have a temporary impact of 3 or 4. I believe this to be true of most people and most would-be “holy sh*t, my life is over” disasters.”

— The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss, Step I, #3, p. 42

I know that fear can make you afraid to start. “It” might seem daunting. Where to start? Who can help? When I think about fear, I return to the above passage from The 4-Hour Workweek (Amazon Affiliate link), one of my all-time favorite books. When I think about this passage, I think about the idea that what you think is so bad is, at worst, a temporary inconvenience. How many of your total setbacks were of a truly bad, severe magnitude? While a few may have been, I would venture to say only a few truly were.

So returning to what my friend said about legacy, I feel that what I’m doing is for my readers, my son and for myself. To say that this is for my readers is obvious. There is information and resources that I wanted to share with those that are ready to receive them. To say that this is for my son should be obvious, as well. I see so much potential in him and I feel that there are things that I know that I could share. My hope is that these things could prove useful to him. I want to share both the best and the worst in me to help him to be his best, possible man. Lastly, to say that writing is for me should be even more obvious. In multiple posts including “I’m In It (With You),” I have said that I don’t have “all of the answers,” have my own struggles and continually have to “do the work.” In order to continually earn the privilege of writing to you, I have to work on myself on those little things to make me the best person that I can be. In the way that I work to challenge you and inspire my son, I have to do “it.” Overall, this is what I would say is my legacy, so far: drawing out the best in myself to draw it in others.

**WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO DRAW OUT THE BEST IN YOURSELF AND OTHERS?**

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