Welcome back to my series, 31 Days Of Purpose!  If you are just joining in, you can find all of previous challenges here!

How do you want to be remembered by those attending your funeral? 

I know that might seem a bit odd or out there for some of you but when it comes to thinking about leaving a lasting legacy, I think it’s helpful to look at your life in reverse!

When you are 80 years old, what will be the most important to you in your life?  In other words, what will matter most?

If you knew that no one would judge you, what would you stand for?  Do you shy away from your true passions and feelings because of other’s judgments?

When you think about leaving a lasting legacy, what is most important to you?  Is it the way you made other’s feel?  Is it money that you left to an organization to help with their cause?  Is it that your grandchildren all have great memories and experiences that they can tell their children and pass on through the generations to come?

The thought of leaving a lasting legacy can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be.  Each day, the things that we do create our legacy.  How you spend your time outside of work, the causes you support, the relationships that you maintain, all create your legacy.

If today was the last day of your life, what would be your biggest regret?

Would it be that you didn’t spend enough time with the people you care about? Would it be that you didn’t make amends with someone?  Would it be that you focused on things that truly didn’t matter?

I took the day off from this challenge yesterday.  The kids had the day off from school because it was parent teachers conference at school.  With 4 kids in the school system, you never know what you will find out from their teachers at conferences.

I have always set high expectations for my kids in school and life. (Sometimes I think I’m way too hard on them and have to remind myself that they are kids.)  I expect them to be respectful to their teachers, I expect them to be kind to their peers and each other, and I expect them to do their best.

After meeting with all of their teachers, I wanted to cry.  Not because they misbehaved, but as we made our way through the teachers, I was told at least one story of the each of my kids being kind and caring to someone else.

As I told one of the teachers, of course I want my kids to have fantastic grades and succeed in school, but by showing compassion to others, having a kind heart, and being a good person is far more important to me than if they start in a sport, or have straight A’s.

My kids fight, they sin, and need corrected all the time. So do I. It’s how we spend our days that shape our legacy. Leaving a lasting legacy is something that happens day in and day out but without ever being intentional about what we want to leave behind us, we will get caught up in the day-to-day life and it could be forgotten.

When I got home yesterday from conferences, I spent the day with my kids. Jason is still harvesting and the boys spent some time harvesting with him and Grandpa. The girls and I did some shopping, hung out with the family when we got back, and it was a wonderful day.

My challenge for you today is to really think about the questions at the beginning of this post. Think about how you want to be remembered long after you’ve left this earth. Find a few ways that you can start incorporating what you want to leave in your legacy into your daily life. (For example, if it’s to help people, add some specific examples into your calendar.)

What is one thing you want to be remembered for and what is one step you are taking for that to happen?

Have you enjoyed what you read here today?  Do you have friends or other women you know that could benefit from this resource?  If so, please do me a favor!  I have included the links below to share with other intentional women!  They’ll be glad you did!