When I was No Impact Man, people asked me all sorts of questions but the underneath motivation was almost always, “How do I make efforts that matter to the problems in the world I care about? How do I feel, if I must struggle in life, that my struggle at least matters to others?” Or in short, how do I find and build the true legacy of my life?
Helping answer this question for people is my passion–through my writing, coaching and consulting, my activism–because people who find their True Legacy cannot help but steer us towards a safe, fair, just, joyful world, where things like climate disaster and racism and other social injustices are minimized. Finding and creating your true legacy is also the path to the most satisfying life.
That’s why when an eighth grade teacher from the Chicago public school system asked me to write to her students to inspire them towards the good life, I sent them this note. These are the questions on which our lives should be based–not just for eighth graders but for the rest of us, too. So I wanted to share the note with you:
Dear all you eighth graders!!
What kind of life do you want and what kind of world do you want to live in? Take the time to ask yourself this question very deeply. Don’t ask your mom or your dad or your teacher. Ask your soul and your heart and your spirit. What world do I want? What life do I want? Who do I want to help and how do I want to help them?
Remember that getting the right job and the right house and having the right stuff is fun but it is not the point of life. We are all going to die. What lives on after your body disappears? What do you want to leave behind?
The so-called grown-ups are screwing up the world. Many of you know better than the grown-ups. Believe in yourself!!
Now: Don’t let anyone tell you that your vision for the world and your life is wrong. Pursue it. But make sure it helps others. It is okay to want things for yourself but only if it helps others too. That doesn’t mean you have to deprive yourself. That means you have to help yourself in a way that helps the world and help the world in ways that help yourself.
Your teacher asked me about the small things that could help. To hell with the small things! Do big things!! Make your whole life about helping the world in the special way that only you can. I promise you that that is the life that will rock the most. Have fun with it. Be naughty with it. Play with it.
See you on the other side!!
Warmly,
Colin