by Kelly Beischel PhD, RN, CNE

The Cambridge online dictionary defines legacy as the “money or property left to a person by someone who has died.” Legacy is also defined as something that we carry forward as the result of past events in our lives.

Legacies sculpt our thinking and behaviors.

Legacies of limited thinking or sabotaging behavior are derived from the negative experiences and characteristics of the people who shaped our thinking at an early age.

For instance, you may have been told that you aren’t a good writer.  Or because it takes you longer to grasp math equations that you aren’t good at math.

 

Where do limiting legacies like these lead us?

  • Refusing to write manuscripts.
  • Shying away from math problems.
  • Making statements about your perceived limitations like “I’m not good at _________” (you fill in the blank).

Unfortunately, we carry these limiting legacies like torches, refusing to release them. In fact we wear them like badges of honor – despite the fact that these limiting legacies stunt our personal development, preventing us from fully becoming who we are meant to be.

The good news is that we have a choice

to either hold onto our limited thinking or to let it go, to choose to believe something different about ourselves.

“One of the most powerful tools to change something in your life is accepting that you’ve created it.”

                                                        Suyin Nichols
                                                        Love Yourself Lighter

Thank goodness there are what I like to call sweet spot legacies as well.

Sweet spot legacies are those legacies passed down through the positive qualities of people or experiences that have optimally shaped your thinking. It’s these legacies that propel you forward in your work and in your personal life. They are full of possibility and positive thinking.

I attended a fantastic presentation about legacies a few years back where we discussed some of these ideas. We reflected about who had left legacies in our lives (good and bad). This presentation shaped my thinking about the legacy I want to pass down to my students.

At the conclusion of the presentation, the facilitator challenged us to write a note of thanks to 3 people in our lives who had gifted us with lasting positive legacies. I wrote down the names of the people I planned to write to.

I even went so far as having jotted down notes about what I would say. I was pumped up to write those letters.

But, regrettably, I allowed the busyness of life to get in the way.

You know the drill:

  • School was starting in a week.
  • I still had syllabi to write.
  • Topical outlines to create.
  • And meetings to attend.

I never wrote those letters.

 

I got thinking about legacies again last week when I drove my mom to the eye doctor and by chance ran into my former Kindergarten teacher. I recognized her immediately. (That’s me with Mrs. Sallee in the photo above.)

I began thinking about legacies again

because Mrs. Sallee was one of those people to whom I had planned to write a note of thanks. Her sweet spot legacy to me was the love of learning. I have been fortunate to have many teachers who fostered my love for learning but she was my first.

I will never forget her gentle but commanding presence in the classroom. Learning was exciting in her classroom. Learning was fun. And she filled my thinking with possibilities.

I also remember how I felt when Mrs. Sallee would truly listen to me: whether it was a question I had, a story I wanted to share, or an incident on the playground. She listened. I wanted to be Mrs. Sallee when I grew up. 🙂

I bet you have someone in your life like Mrs. Sallee.

Who did you want to be when you grew up?

I became a teacher, albeit through a circuitous route, because of the love of learning legacy she passed down to me. Thank you Mrs. Sallee!

Her sweet spot legacy, in turn, has grown exponentially. My classrooms are lively, supportive, and filled with possibilities because you first showed me what learning is meant to look like.

I recently received an email from a student

excited about her new patient care attendant position. In this email she wrote, “You have been so motivating and resourceful. Thank you for setting all of my stepping stones into a bright future.”

What type of legacy are you leaving? What do you want your students to remember from having been in your classroom? We can pass on limiting legacies or sweet spot legacies. Do we want our students’ thinking in terms of possibilities or limitations? The choice is ours.

Here is my challenge to you:

It’s probably easy to think of people and/or events that have left you a legacy of limiting beliefs.

But I’d like to challenge you to consider 3 people who have gifted you with sweet spot legacies, people whose qualities have made optimum impact in developing who you have become.

Write a note of thanks to these 3 people.

I’ve written one of mine with this week’s newsletter. You see, Mrs. Sallee signed up to receive my newsletter the day after we talked. 🙂

I have two to go. And I know just who I’m going to send them to. Who are you going to send yours to?

This is a perfect time to do it.

Post a comment below for a chance to win Quiet Mind: One Minute Mindfulness by David Kundtz

If you’d like to learn how to develop sweet spot legacies to pass down to your students, email me and we can discuss how I can help you.