Legacy:
The components of a man’s character that are exhibited and expressed to descendants, friends, associates and strangers.
Legacy is a somewhat antiquated word that is not used much in the 21st Century. However, each of us is the product of our past as well as the accumulated sum of many legacies left by many others. And, whether we realize it or not, we are influencing others every day, exhibiting and expressing our own personal legacies that are impacting people in ways we might not even know. For some men, particularly those in leadership roles, it is important for them to recognize how they are impacting others. It may be a wife. It may be children. It may be friends or associates at work. It might be all of the above, and more. With this in mind the Legacy Project has been created to raise awareness of the importance of a Personal Legacy and explore how one’s Personal Legacy can be refined.
The Legacy Project is a program for men that is crafted to help achieve this noble goal. An important aspect of this program is it’s intergenerational format, bringing community leaders that represent different generations together to examine what a Legacy is, why it is important and how small but intentional actions can have a profound impact on every participant and on those around them. The Legacy Project explores the benefits of learning and living by principles while encouraging others to do the same.
The program is made up of 3 elements: Learning, Encouraging and Applying. Each session begins in early September and ends in early March. The Learning portion of the program consists of monthly small group meetings made up of 4 to 6 men that generally vary in ages between 25 and 65. All Participants and Leaders are working full time or recently retired. The meetings are held at the Leader’s office and are either a breakfast (7am – 8:45am) or lunch meeting (11am – 12:45pm) with the meal provided by the Leader. The predetermined meeting days occur during the 2nd and 3rd weeks of each month, allowing ample flexibility for all participants. These small group meetings revolve around studies of the founding era of the United States. We do not discuss politics or religion in these meetings but we examine the history of the United States by studying the principles and philosophies that are the foundation of our present day society. We are all living out the inheritance left to us by others and it is helpful to gain a greater understanding of this legacy. It is also impressive to learn that a few dozen men, from different cultures and backgrounds, came together around a set of beliefs and principles, and created a nation that has experienced unparalleled freedom and prosperity. Discovering how this occurred is fascinating and enlightening. It offers us insight into how we too can influence things around us.
The Encouraging element of the program is achieved by assigning different pairs of younger and older men each month, asking these pairs to meet with one another at a mutually convenient time to simply get to know each other better. These new acquaintances frequently develop into strong relationships with other men who can help in times of need, counsel when asked and help hold each other accountable.
Finally, the Applying element of the program simply asks each participant to do something each month that shows kindness, generosity, compassion or helpfulness to someone else they do not know, and then recount this experience to the small group members during the Learning meeting. We have found that this exercise begins to form positive habits and discussing these activities stimulates others to do the same. We characterize this as being accountable to do something good with purpose and intentionality. Hearing the testimonies of others is great encouragement to engage in the culture in positive ways, enhancing your legacy within the community in which you live.
Overall, the Legacy Project is a good way to interact with other community leaders of varying ages through mentoring, networking and collaborative learning. If this sounds like something that interests you, consider joining a Legacy Project group. You will learn a lot and find yourself thinking about things you have never considered. This will alter your perspective on many things and you will find yourself happier, more productive and more positive about your life and those around you.