Footprints Wash Away, Creating Your Legacy

No one lives forever, yet most carry a growing list of things they will do "someday". Your "Someday List" may include things like spending more time with family, starting a new business, taking a trip with your spouse, volunteering for a charity, or an array of other dreams that have been put on hold until you had spare time.

I just returned from 8 days on the road speaking, and captured a photo of a perfect illustration of how temporary life is while walking along the beach in Santa Monica, CA. The footprints in the sand represent the mark that every one of us leaves on the world. This photo was taken during low tide, but within hours the tide came in, washing  the footprints away. Everyone will eventually die and our physical "footprints" will wash away. What will remain, however, is the impact  we had on those around us.

My friend, David A. Koop, wrote a fantastic book titled, Cancer-It's a Good Thing I Got It! It is filled with great stories of capturing the magic of today, and not living in tomorrow.

There are 3 things to consider when pursuing your "Someday" items:

1. It's now or never. Take some sort of action that moves you toward your goal. You can correct the course of a boat when it is moving, but not when it's parked.

2. You have the resources to make it happen. God does not plant a dream in our hearts without giving us the means to make it come true. (It may take you longer to accomplish your goal than you would prefer, but patience and who you become in the process is the real reward.)

3. Disconnect to reconnect. Whenever I'm speaking in the Los Angeles area, I always try to extend my trip for an extra day or two. The people on the beach are enjoying the experience of being on the beach. I never witnessed a surfer who was checking their text messages, or a volleyball player who was on a conference call with the office during the middle of the game. Being "Always on, Always accessible" puts us into a perpetual reactionary mode.

An example of "someday" items for me include eating dinner as a family at least twice per week, making time for friends, and running a Tough Mudder race in 2013.

What are some of your "Someday" items? Please comment and share!

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