Your Legacy is Now
Life is not a search for meaning from others, it’s about the creation of meaning for yourself.
For over 30 years Alan Weiss has consulted, coached, and advised everyone from Fortune 500 executives, state governors, non-profit directors, and entrepreneurs to athletes, entertainers, and beauty pageant contestants. That’s quite an assortment of people, and they run into the thousands. Most of them have had what we euphemistically call “means,” and some of them have had a lot more than that. Others have been aspiring and with more ends in sight than means on hand.
Alan Weiss states:
I’ve dealt with esteem (low), narcissism (high), family problems, leadership dysfunctions, insecurities, addictions, and ethical quandaries. And I’ve talked about them through the coronavirus crisis. But don’t get the wrong idea. About 95% of these people have been well-meaning, honest (to the best of their knowledge), and interested in becoming a better person and better professional. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be talking to me.
I found the equivalent of the “runner’s wall” in their journeys, where they must break through the pain and the obstacles and then can keep going with renewed energy and spirit. But runners know how far they must go after the breakthrough, be it another half lap or another five miles. There is a finish line.
I’ve found that people in all positions, even after the “breakthrough,” don’t know where they are in the race, let alone where the finish line is.
They do not know what meaning is for them. They may have money in the bank, good relationships, the admiration of others, and the love of their dogs. But they have no metrics for “What now?” They believe that at the end of life there is a tallying, some metaphysical accountant who totals up their contributions, deducts their bad acts, and creates the (hopefully positive) difference.
That difference, they believe, is their “legacy.”
But the thought that legacy arrives at the end of life is as ridiculous as someone who decides to sell a business and tries to increase its valuation the day prior. Legacy is now. Legacy is daily. Every day we create the next page in our lives, but the question becomes who is writing it and what’s being written. Is someone else creating our legacy? Or are we, ourselves, simply writing the same page repeatedly?
Or do we leave it blank?
Our organic, living legacy is marred and squeezed by huge normative pressures. There is a “threshold” point, at which one’s beliefs and values are overridden by immense peer pressure. Our metrics are forced to change.
In an age of social media, biased press, and bullying, we’ve come to a point where our legacy, ironically, is almost out of our hands.
Yet our “meaning”—our creation of meaning and not a search for some illusive alchemy—creates worth and impact for us and all those with whom we interact.
Nicole Simon
Alan, having bought some of your book I was interested in seeing what the new book was about. Putting aside the fact that you had problems with your kindle guy, I don’t see anything on Amazon.com about this new book. Nor can I find anything on Google searching for “weiss thrive” about it except that the book has arrived and you are have started shipping.
So, where do I find out more about it? 🙂
Also, please do not make the mistake of just sending from some place home, but do take advantage of Amazon and co; there is a reason why people want to go through there.
Mainly for convinience. I for example mostly order english books through Amazon UK as it is the easiest way to get books over here.
If you need to ship just from home, do add an international option. 😉
Alan Weiss
The book is described on my web site. It will be on Amazon soon. I understand what’s good for you, but I have to do what’s good for most and for me. I’ll certainly try not to make mistakes. Thanks for all the advice.
Elizabeth Hagen
I received your book “Thrive” today – can’t wait to read it – thank you!
Alan Weiss
Thanks for letting me know! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!
Elizabeth Hagen
I already love the first chapter and can’t tell you how many times I enjoyed your humor/wit and have already am ‘owning’ your content – for example “Wishing gains you nothing, but decisions can change everything.” And the bumper car/priorities analogy – priceless!
Alan Weiss
I think I love you….
Elizabeth Hagen
Everyone does!
Wayne Botha
Alan,
Received my copy yesterday and read it last night. Hard to find words that describe how much I value the opportunity to own this book. Only you could have written this book which integrates your experiences insights vast education and contemporary examples to illustrate your points.
Thank you for writing this book and including the list of Books to Thrive!
Before reading this book, I would have been concerned about those poor cows in the countryside – not anymore. I hope this doesn’t offend any cows.
Now I need to go – dominatrix is waiting with a toaster.