Most people I encounter are trying to do good. There are lots of ways to do good, and different people have different ideas of what doing good means. I’ve discovered that doing good is not living a legacy – at least according to many people’s idea of doing good.
Being Good
I see two main thoughts on what it means to be doing good. The first one has to do with how we are conducting ourselves through life. I’ll ask someone how they are doing, and they’ll say something like, “I’m doing good. I’ve stuck to my diet this week.” In this school of thought, when we strive to do good, we are working on eating healthier, exercising, arguing less, avoiding alcohol and drugs, etc. If we can get better in all these areas, we’re doing good, or so these folks would say. This line of thinking is really all about being good.
Doing Good
The second thought on what it means to do good is all about giving and charity work. I’ll ask someone why they are volunteering at the food bank, they’ll answer, “I’m doing good.” In this school of thought, when we strive to do good, we’re spreading good things around in the world. If we volunteer our time, give money to the poor, do random acts of kindness, or give gifts to strangers, we’re doing good. This line of thinking is all about doing good – as in, “I did some good today.”
Living a Legacy
Unfortunately neither approach guarantees we’ll live a legacy. To truly liver a legacy we must both, *be* good, and *do* good. And yet even, both of these things together aren’t enough.
When we are a good person, that certainly is a really good start. For example, It’s hard to get very far if people can’t trust us. So, while being trustworthy, is an important element of living a legacy, it isn’t sufficient by itself to change people’s lives.
And when we do good things, this also is a really good start. For example, while we may save someone’s Christmas, it probably doesn’t change their economic status in a significant way. So, while giving and having the capacity to give can be a really important element in living a legacy, it too isn’t sufficient by itself to change people’s lives.
The real missing piece is a focus on deep, long lasting results. This is where we move from doing good, to living a legacy. When our legacy is, for example,that some kids went to college who otherwise wouldn’t go, or some kids were adopted who would otherwise be on the street, or some girls were rescued from sex trafficking, this is truly life changing. These are just a few examples, and there are an unlimited number of ways we can produce life long results for people.
Changing peoples’ whole lives for the better – this is what it means to live a legacy. And when we’re living a legacy, we aren’t just doing good, we are doing really, really good.
What is the legacy you want to live?
