What is your Legacy?

I'll start off by letting everyone know that I sell life insurance for a living.  My business motivates me because every family has a story and I get to hear them every day. I love working with people who think beyond themselves and care for their families as much as I do. 

Dictionary.com defines legacy as:

1. Law. a gift of property, esp. personal property, as money, by will; a bequest

2. anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor

In my life, when it comes to #1 from dictionary.com's definition of legacy, my family will be well taken care of if I were to pass away.  I'm not a wealthy man.  I own a small home and have a small independent insurance brokerage.  Currently, my home is upside down and my retirement savings definitely aren't going up.  I don't have much to leave behind.  But if I were to pass away today,  my life insurance policy would be adequate enough for my family to continue their same standard of living and pay off the house.

I know in my life and the lives of my clients, making sure that our spouse and children are not left off worse than they are living now is very important.  I believe that if you have a financial responsibility for your family, you must insure it.  Those who care about their legacy look beyond themselves and accept this responsibility. 

The thing is if #1 went without saying, there wouldn't be 50+ million uninsured adults in our country.  With the economy melting down and investments going south, there has never been a more vulnerable time for families who rely on someone's income.  If a family's breadwinner were to pass away, they lose their main source of income and wouldn't be able to keep their same standard of living.  If part of your legacy is financial security for your loved ones, then this can be taken care of with an adequate amount of life insurance.

It's #2 that will be our unknown.

We'll be working on #2 our whole life.  Handing down something from the past doesn't have to be tangible.  It differs for everyone, for me I'd like to be a teacher to my family and also be a student at the same time.  I'd like to instill the same values that was taught by my grandparents and parents.  I'd like my children to have a sense of history.  Be enthusiastic about life.  Have a sensitivity for nature.  

The thing is, we can't decide our #2.  Our #2 is the aftermath of what we've done on this earth.  The only thing we can control is our #1.  When our journey is complete, our legacy will be determined by what we have left behind. 

Has your #1 been taken care of?

What do you hope your #2's will be?

 "To live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy..." ~ Stephen Covey