The passing of Steve Jobs recently put attention on his legacy, what he stood for in his life and what he left behind.  It is in his passing, that we turn to our own legacies, on what we do each day to make the world a bit better than it was the day before, and to focus on how we too would like to be remembered.

When working with clients, the conversation sometimes turns to their legacy through the handling of their personal possessions and the stories that surface.  It is in these stories, we find lives rich with experience and at that same time, it provides a moment to pause, look back and do a life review.

It could be the set of china that belonged to their grandmother and the meals that were shared with every use; or it could be the small ornament that sits on the bookshelf that may appear meaningless but has deep and profound meaning to its owner.

Each of the stories that surface are inevitably about people and what they mean to the individual.  It isn’t about the object itself but more about the experience and all of its accompanying memories that the object represents.  It’s in those experiences, in those memories, that legacies are built.

So look at your life.  What memories are you creating for the people in your life that is building your legacy, – the way people will remember you when you are gone?

It’s never too late to build a legacy to be proud of.  It starts with one thought, one action, one deed.  Do something today and every day to make your world a bit better than it was the day before and you’ll find that your legacy is one that many will be proud to share.