Legacy jordanmarsh6, July 26, 2021April 5, 2023 Have you ever noticed how some actors and actresses have a role so iconic that they can never really escape that role the rest of their life? I recently saw two interviews of John Krasinski and Rainn Wilson where they answered questions about just that. Here’s an interesting detail about what I just wrote: I couldn’t actually remember John Krasinski’s name at all without googling it, and it took me about a minute to remember Rainn Wilson’s last name. If you’re confused, which you might be, John Krasinski played Jim Halpert and Rainn Wilson played Dwight Schrute on the Office. I had NO problem remembering their screen names. Both answered questions related to always being remembered as Jim and Dwight and both said that if that was the case, they would be just fine with that. There’s no doubt that they became household names because of that show, but I can’t help but wonder how they really feel about it. What must it be like to know that the thing you will likely be remembered for has already passed, and that you still likely have a lot of life to live? There are many examples similar to this. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) is probably the most entrenched-in-his-last-role actor there is. Rather than trying to outrun a character, it seems like Adam Sandler can’t outrun the type of character he plays: being the guy with anger management issues. Billy Madison, Anger Management, Happy Gilmore? Very similar characters there. I also think about sports stars. At a maximum, they are done playing by around 40 years old which is pretty rare. They most likely stop playing in their late 20’s to early 30’s. They still have A LOT of life to live. It must be unsettling for them to figure out what to do with the rest of their life when most of their life has been so dominated by a sport that has now left them behind. When I think about this, I think about legacy. For the people who know you well, your legacy will be multi-faceted. For the rest, your legacy might only consist of one thing. They’ll know you for being that one guy that played Harry Potter or Jim Halpert or Dwight Schrute. They might know you for being the sports announcer at the local high school. The different ways people can be remembered are endless, but it seems that in reality people are usually remembered for one (MAYBE two) things. Here’s the point: what do you want your legacy to be? As I kept staring at the habit formation cycle (inspiration, motivation, plans, action), I couldn’t help but feel like it was short-sighted. I could complete that cycle by deciding to not clean my room each week; sure, it led to action (or inaction), but it didn’t lead to anything of worth. Thinking first about your legacy means you won’t to get to the end of your life and realize you spent your time on the wrong things. You’ll think about what you want to be remembered for, and then take the necessary steps each day to fulfill that vision of yours. Self Improvement
Covey said don’t get to the end of your life and find the ladder you’ve been climbing has been leaning against the wrong wall… that we should use imagination and mindfulness to imagine our funeral and what we’d like people to eulogize us for… and then write a mission statement working backward from that. Reply