Professionally speaking, most people have a plan. They have goals that they want to achieve, a vision of who they want to be, a target of how much money they want to make, and a career path that they hope to complete.

When it comes to your personal life, do you have the same kind of plan and ambitions for yourself? What do you want your personal legacy to be?

To stimulate your thought process, let me pose this question. If I asked you to create a Board of Directors, consisting of only people that you’ve personally met or know, who would you choose to be on your board?

You should be thinking about people who support your personal vision. People that will give you honest advice. Somebody that you can share your unique ideas with, and they help clear the path with you.

Are you able to think of anybody?

If you’re like me, you’ve got about 4-5 people that you’re confident in. These people could have been personal mentors, friends, family, or maybe even mutual acquaintances that have directly influenced you.

Now, lets flip that question. If people that you know were creating a Board of Directors, how many people would ask you to be part of their board? Take a moment to think about that one…

Humbling thought, isn’t it?

It’s easier for us to think about people who have helped us. We know who’s helped us, and who we would want to continue getting support from. But when we think about those that we’ve helped, the list tends to get smaller.

Earlier, I asked the question “what do you want your personal legacy to be?”.

People likely aren’t going to remember how many promotions that you achieved, how much money that you earned, or how motivated you were in your professional career.  Now, I’m not saying that those things aren’t important – they are.

Your professional accomplishments are personally satisfying, but there is something more gratifying.

You will be remembered for what you helped others to achieve. You’ll be remembered for the impact that you made on people around you. You’ll be remembered by the people that you’ve served – personally, not professionally. You’ll be remembered for what you wanted to do, not for what you were paid to do.

Take personal steps to living a more fulfilled life, it’s not hard. Do you have a loving significant other? Don’t tell them how much they mean to you, show them. Do you have friends/family who are always supportive of you? Give them the same support back. Do you have somebody that you love talking to, or being around – but you just never seem to have enough time to catch up with them? Make the time.

You only live once, and it’s a short life. Make a big impact, for you, and others. Be a better person, friend, and lover. Care more, act more, love more.