NOBLE TRUTHS

“You must decide if you are going to rob the world or bless it with the rich, valuable, potent, untapped resources locked away within you.” Myles Munroe.

Do you ever sit down and take stock of your life. I have been for the past year or so. I am slowly learning how invaluable this is and why we need to take it up more often. Recently, I had been thinking of a friend of mine her name was Judy. I  had mentioned her in a previous blogpost titled Be Easy https://lilylovelong.blogspot.com/2019/11/be-easy.html.Its now been almost three years but every so often she always crosses my mind. To some, that may seem like a daunting affair but luckily my random thoughts of her always seem to prompt the making of better life choices or rather the need for a better life choice. Not so long ago she finally got me thinking: What kind of legacy do I wish to leave behind when am gone?




Do you ever think about the legacy you will leave behind. No! I do not mean the material wealth that is just a part of it but rather the intangible kind. That which can neither be duplicated nor bought. Wondering what that is? Well, a positive legacy can simply be kind acts: acts that have a great impact on humanity. Take an example of Mahatma Gandhi, he died over seventy years ago but yet never forgotten. Personally whenever I come across his quotes am always in awe, for it takes great wisdom, patience, compassion, and resilience to lead a life as he did. The greatest part of it all, his life lessons are timeless. I want to have that. I wish to exploit and explore all that is within me to be the best version of self and share that with the world one person at a time. I wish for when I am long gone the few people who know me will always recall something positive about me and how that improved their life.




I read a lot, I find it therapeutic. However, if that's not your cup of tea one can always explore listening to audiobooks. My most recent read is a book titled  30 days-Change your habits, change your life by Marc Reklau  I loved. It had a few pages but so many indispensable lessons that are both effortless and pragmatic. I recommend it to everyone who is on a journey of self-improvement. Such a genre of books is allowing me to slowly learn on simple ways of self-improvement as I seek to explore developing practices that will one day result in the generation of a positive legacy. Some of the most basic lessons so far are:
NB: In no particular order

1. Be the protagonist.
 Own your life and all it encompasses: the decisions, the thoughts, the deeds. This will ensure you take responsibility for your actions and it may then prompt you to live a purposeful life. In the words of Marie Forleo " There has never been and never will be another you. You have a purpose - a very special gift that only you can bring to the world."

2. Invest in yourself
You never know what lies within you if you do not allow yourself to grow. Get yourself into activities that are enriching to your mind and soul. I came across an anonymous quote that stated: "If you want to invest in something with minimum risk and guaranteed returns invest in yourself." Attempt to learn something new daily: It may be a word, skill, habit, giving etc just do something for you.

3. Know yourself
With globalization comes exposure to different cultures hence increased opportunities to learn some very interesting facts. For instance, among the eastern religions, there is one referred to as Taoism. Among its founders is Mr. Lao Tzu. He was a great philosopher and writer who emphasized on the need to conduct an extensive soul searching while being open to acquire new knowledge. One of my favorites quotes of him is “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.” Makes you think, right?

Learning about oneself is a process that can be quite intimidating and yet quite enlightening. I am still learning on how to know myself and anyone who has more great resources please share I open to it.

4. Regrets! No! Call them lessons
One of my many favorite life lessons comes from Col.Saunders the founder of KFC maybe its cause I love food, not sure. He is a solid reflection of how we can turn our many failures into opportunities to grow. From him, I have learned that

• Learning doesn't occur when we always succeed on the first try
• A positive attitude is everything.
• There is no age limit to building a positive legacy.
• Never give up no matter what

At the end of the day it is important to understand that " In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." Abraham Lincoln.