One of my dad’s final wishes just before he died, was to have a day at the seaside. So we did, we went to Mablethorpe. A few weeks later, he was carried out of his home for the last time to spend a mere 48 hours in a hospice before departing on his next adventure. When he left, he needed so little it hardly filled a small bag.
The years we spend furnishing the house, buying the clothes, having the latest gadgets, chasing the promotion, missing key moments in life to make the deadline ultimately all come down to this.
Things are of no value, you don’t need them in death. What really matters is the legacy you leave behind.
My dad’s legacy was strength, courage, kindness, unconditional, never-ending love and an ability to be himself unfettered by the world around him. We didn’t have a rich life measured by material wealth but we were rich beyond imagination in the ways that mattered.
If you are going to be late home from work tonight let it be because you are building a legacy not trying to get a promotion.
If you are worrying about money let it be because you need to keep your family safe and fed not because you need a larger house or a new gadget.
If you are worried about what others think of you – please don’t.
And on that note, I will end this article – be brave, be kind and be you.
If you are going to be late home from work tonight let it be because you are building a legacy not trying to get a promotion. I love this. What you build in life should be something that you leave for your children and grandchildren, a legacy of love, kindness and the time we gave them.
You wrote pure truth with a very compelling message. Nothing you have purchased or wealth you have amassed will have any value when you pass away. Life is short. Take advantage of the important things as well as the real important people in your life. Even when you are alive you never know what catastrophic event will occur leaving you with nothing. Great article, Nik.
Ah, Nik, this speaks so loudly to me! My dad worked hard, but he also always took time to be with us, his family. And his friends. He loved living, but he acquired things mostly to please my mother, who had grown up with so little and needed so much to be happy. But wasn’t. Not really. Not deep down. Always scared she’d lose what she had because her early years were full of losses.
As a kid, I realized that my dad was the happier of the two, always smiling and enjoying everything we had. My mother? Not so much. Really sad.
Fast-forward to today. I live happily — giddily, sometimes — in a tiny 525 s.f. cottage four houses up a hill from a beautiful bay in Massachusetts. Two small dogs. More than enough space for us. Direct water views. Friends to walk, talk, and play with. Work that means so much to me with how I can help and what I can learn. So far my health is great, my mind still works, and I have no debt. I live with such pleasure it’s almost unreal!
Love your article, and I would wish that everyone could find a way to integrate real happiness in their lives beyond the things they buy.