Leaving a Legacy, One Breadcrumb at a Time

While leaving a legacy was amplified by the pandemic, what that means and how to build legacy can be hard to grasp. Here I suggest we create legacy throughout our lives.

One of my current coaching clients speaks of leaving breadcrumbs on the path towards a desired destination.  It’s a great visual picture and one I’ll repurpose in the name of meaning and legacy.

I propose that throughout our lives, whether we realise it or not, we cumulatively drop the breadcrumbs that will be our legacy, through how we connect and relate to others.

Never was this so apparent as when a beloved teenager told me, five days ago, that something I said when he was two “turned on the lights” and formed his earliest memory. This moment spoke to significance – my life mattered. I will never forget that conversation.

What I hadn’t realised is that whatever I said that day created a legacy breadcrumb; something that he carries forward with him.

When we sense our lives are meaningful to other people, we’re able to see the value in our own lives

Dr Frank Martela, philosopher and psychology researcher specialising in the question of meaning in life.

Even before we start paying attention to our legacy, we are leaving those crumbs, touching other people’s lives in ways we often do not realise.

So What Is Legacy?

I care deeply about future generations and enjoy working on things that will make a difference and have a positive impact on others … I want to ensure that I create something that will outlast me and continues to make a positive contribution after I’m gone”.

Linley & Bateman, 2018

Legacy has a future-focus and helps us pay attention, according to Dr Joel Vos, to how we “can use the potential of the future to create a more meaningful life”.

For many people, the pandemic amplified their desire to leave a legacy. One meaning expert suggests that it helped bring into focus “what motivates us” and prompted us to find “ways to provide greater service to others and/or the planet going forward”.

Likewise, global data (2023) compiled by a global leader in skills-based hiring and talent mobility solutions showed that legacy and mission were almost uniformly the top two unrealised strengths across six continents. Unrealised because there is potential for these strengths to be dialled up and used more.

How To Leave Your Legacy Breadcrumbs

Here are four ideas that might help to fine tune your legacy focus.

1. Define 

> Dedicate time to thinking about – and ideally writing down – details of the legacy you’d like to leave.

> What enduring breadcrumbs would you like to leave for your children, relatives, friends, colleagues and the world? Be specific.

> How will you remind yourself of the legacy you hope to leave?

2. Take stock 

> In what ways have you contributed to your legacy in the past? How do you know?

> Jot down what you did or what role you played?

> What indications suggest this left an imprint aligned with your legacy?

> What can you learn from this reflection?

3. Connect daily activities 

> What do you do already that supports your legacy vision?

> Identify specific behaviours or interactions where you contribute or interact in a way consistent with leaving your breadcrumbs.

4. Plan to breadcrumb

> What opportunities or activities are you not doing yet that might support your legacy?

> What support might you need to help you?

> How can you help others build or reinforce their legacy?