Want to Leave Your Legacy? Start by Sharing What You’ve Gained.

The following is adapted from You End up Where You’re Heading.

If you’ve reached the summit of your life’s journey, you’ve likely accomplished quite a bit. A successful career, a big family, or maybe a world map dotted with places you’ve traveled. But your achievements over the years don’t leave a legacy without one thing: passing on what you’ve gained. 

Giving generously of yourself, whether you’re giving money, expertise, advice, or service, completes your journey. The more experienced generation has the unique position to guide, teach, and inspire those just starting out, and if you don’t take the opportunity to pass on what you know, you miss out on one of the most rewarding acts in life. I call this “filling in the map.” You share your expertise and guidance so the next generation can find their way. 

Are you ready to leave your legacy?

Don’t Let Insecurity Keep You from Giving

Filling in the map marks the end of your journey, but it isn’t without its challenges. The role of guide or “expert” can be a label you never feel quite qualified for. If you give in to insecurity, it can prevent you from giving altogether. 

Renowned psychologist Abraham Maslow saw this as a danger we try to flee from: “To discover in oneself a great talent can certainly bring exhilaration but it also brings a fear of the dangers and responsibilities and duties of being a leader.” 

Who am I to be a guide? I barely made it through life in one piece! you might think. But enhancing the map doesn’t have to be a grand gesture; it’s often a small moment. It’s not how you share or how much; it’s that you simply do it. 

You have the chance every day as a parent, as a coworker, as a human on this planet to share the tools and experience you’ve gathered along the way. You may be only one person in the world, but you can be the world to one person. 

Inspire Others with Your Success

Once you’re comfortable with the idea of being a guide, look for opportunities to share the experience you’ve gained throughout life. What can you teach others? 

Maybe you can guide struggling youth, people just starting out in their careers, or adults who have hit a rough patch in their lives. Can you boost people’s confidence? Teach them practical skills? Warn them of the common pitfalls in your field?

Whatever you have to teach, someone can likely benefit from hearing it. If you’re struggling to define what you have to share, try talking to your younger self. What do you know now that you wish you’d known back then? 

Somewhere in the world right now is the younger version of yourself. They’ll have a different name, but they’re about to embark on the journey you just took. What would you tell them? The answer will tell you what you have to share. 

Start Filling in the Map Now

If you’ve lived a fulfilling life and achieved your goals, you undoubtedly have much to share with the younger generation, and you can start filling in the map now. Your achievements might seem commonplace to you, but they’ll seem extraordinary to someone just starting out. 

Remember, giving completes your life journey, so don’t let insecurity stop you from being a guide to someone who needs it. Giving isn’t about ego; it’s about helping others succeed and making your knowledge outlast you. It’s about leaving your mark on the wide world and creating a legacy. As Carl Sagan put it, “For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.” 

Filling in the map isn’t an act of self-aggrandizement, a “look what I’ve done” showcase, but an act of love. It’s the difference between building a road and building a monument. Monuments crumble; roads last. By searching for opportunities to share what you’ve gained in life, you can build your road and leave a lasting legacy. 

For more advice on living a fulfilling life, you can find You End up Where You’re Heading on Amazon.

Jimmy Rex is best known for his fifteen-year career in real estate. With more than 2,200 homes sold, he closed Utah’s most expensive home sale in history at $32.5 million. He’s coached more than 1,500 agents, authored the best-selling book, Next Wave of Influence in Real Estate, and is the creator and host of the popular podcast, The Jimmy Rex Show.

Cameron Carling earned his BA in communication studies from UCLA, and is currently an operations manager for Google’s IT department. Here he’s spent more than a decade leading technical support and user experience teams and co-developing an industry-leading IT training program.