Living Up to Your Legacy
What do you want people to remember when you’re gone? As host of the UPcoming, I hope it’s remembered as a place where people from all walks of life, and from all backgrounds could freely tell their story and where they want to be in life, knowing that they don’t need to be a celebrity for someone to care. As for me, I just want to be seen as the guy who gave them that platform. A guy who was willing to hear it all and share it with the world. That’s the desired legacy of the UPcoming, but what do others want it to be?
I was going back on my earlier episodes and the thought of a legacy is an interesting one. With all the celebrity and political scandals going around these days, a lot of legacies are tarnished. Hopefully none of my guests ever experience this, but I thought it would be important to look at what they want their legacies to be in the first place.
One guest that came to mind was Fatou Diouf of episode 37. When I asked her what she wanted to be remembered as, she kept it simple, “I want people to remember me for someone who is kind, for being someone who is supportive of other people, of other artists, for someone who is hardworking, someone who knows her worth…” She wants to be remembered as someone who compassionate, hardworking, diligent, and all around respectable; everything she is right now. Originally, she based her worth off her accolades and achievements, but she realized what really mattered was how others knew her to be.
It’s easy to respect people who win Grammys or Oscars, or Pulitzers, but we don’t really know those people. That’s why when news about people like Diddy comes to light that show their darker side, we’re so shocked because it doesn’t seem like someone who could gain so much respect and adoration could do something appalling. The ones who do know about people like Diddy aren’t surprised, because they’ve seen that side to him. In Fatou’s career, will anyone come out and reveal negative things about her? As someone who knows her, I think (and hope) not.
What about you? What do you want your legacy to look like? How do you want to be remembered? If you don’t want it to be remembered as a jerk or difficult to be around, then it’s simple: don’t be a jerk or difficult to be around. If you have to work on that, then start today. The sooner you master your social skills, the better. And never let people see the nastier side to you, because even if you forget, they’ll remember it. A legacy is suprisingly fragile, and must be maintained always. Right now, you’re working on your legacy without even realizing it, so ask yourself, “What do I want it to look like down the line?”