Who says you cannot become a living legend? There is a big misconception about legacy. Ordinarily, people tend to equate legacy as an end-of-life affair. But there is another twist to the issue of legacy. And the truth is that you can create your own legacy while you are still alive. You can become famous and be admired by a large number of people whose lives you have impacted while you are still alive. It is legacy that distinguishes the legend. By their legacy we shall know them. Without mincing words what makes you a legend is the legacy you leave for others. And this legacy is rooted in your deeds and exploits in life.
Have a Dream
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams – Eleanor Roosevelt.
The truth is that you can become a living legend but you must dream it. You must have a dream if you hope to leave a legacy. If you don’t have a dream then there is nothing to live for. Your dream is your course of life. Obviously, your dream in life will form the basis for your legacy. No legacy is possible without a dream. You must own a dream for you to be able to become a legend. Dreams are futuristic in nature. They take care of the needs and challenges of the future. And these dreams sometimes take longer to be actualized.
The biblical Joseph as a little boy had a dream where all his brethren made obeisance to him. That dream took more than thirty years to be actualized. However, while waiting for the actualization of his dream Joseph did everything to safeguard and nurture his dream. One thing he did to safeguard this dream was to stay focused.
Safeguard your Dream
There were threats everywhere around him that would have halted this dream starting from his brothers. They did all they could to stop him. They hated him with passion because they were jealous of his dream. From there they took a step further by planning to kill him. They threw him into a deep empty well, and eventually sold him into slavery. As a slave boy his ordeal continued as his master’s wife cast eyes on him and wanted to lure him into sleeping with her. He vehemently declined and refused his mistress’ advances. And this landed him into more troubles. He was wrongfully accused and imprisoned.
All these things did not distract him, rather he remained focused. However, when the time came his dream was actualized and he was appointed a leader in Egypt second to none but only pharaoh. He became an icon, a legend highly admired and revered throughout the land because of what he did to save the land. His was a legacy that would save the nation from seven years of severe famine. Through his idea food was stored up in abundance during years of great harvest. The reserve was so enormous that they became a food distribution hub; they even have enough to sell to other nations.
Dreams are Powerful
Dreams are so powerful and will always materialize no matter how long it takes. And nothing can stop a dream whose time has come. It is your dream today that will translate to legacy in the future. Martin Luther king Jnr. we all know him very well, once had a dream. In his famous speech ‘I have a dream’ he made explicit the dream he had for the American nation. It was a dream for equality among the different races that makes up the United States. It was a dream for freedom and Justice deeply rooted in the American dream.
Unfortunately, he was assassinated in the course of this but his dream lived on. And today we celebrate Martin Luther king Jnr. as a legend because of the legacy he has left- the legacy of civil right. He was a legend and a champion of civil right. In fact much of the rights, justice and freedom that the blacks and other Americans enjoy today were because of his dream. Many are now happy and fulfilled being citizens of the United States because of this legacy.
Dreams are Bigger than the Dreamer
From the story of Martin Luther King Jnr. We can understand that dreams are bigger than their owners. Dreams outlive their owners once they are actualized and become legacies. Do you have a dream in life? What is your dream about the future? The first step to becoming a living legend is by having a dream. In the next post I will explain how you can nest your dream and to turn it into a legacy.