As I develop this blog and discover my Revolutionary voice, I want to commit to authenticity. It’s tempting to position myself as the expert who has it all together and is just smoothly implementing his master plan, step-by-step.
The authentic truth, though, is that, while I am blessed to be gifted in a lot of ways, the Ripple Revolution sometimes feels like an idea that is bigger than my capabilities. I see so much potential for it to make such a wide-ranging positive impact, and I’m not sure how to get there from here.
A couple weeks ago I had the good fortune to have lunch with Jen Louden and Molly Gordon. I told them about the Ripple Revolution concept, and expressed my uncertainty about whether or not I was up to the task. Jen asked me if I really wanted to.
My response felt powerful and affirming. I said, “If I discovered that ten years from today I was going to drop dead, and I had to choose what I was going to focus on during that last ten years, this would be it. The Ripple Revolution would be the legacy I would want to leave behind. No question”
As I thought about that response later, it occurred to me what a powerful question that could become for all of us:
What would my ten-year legacy be? If I knew that I only had ten years left, starting today, what would I focus my energy on?
I love two things about that question. First, it focuses you and creates some sense of needing to start it now. Second, it creates a big enough space that it can be a vision to work toward, not just a big splash you have to make in the immediate future.
What would your 10-year legacy be?
If you don’t have an immediate picture of what it looks like, don’t worry. The important thing is simply that you start exploring it. Plant the seed of the idea by asking the question, and then give it space to grow.
Your ten-year legacy might be work-related, but it doesn’t need to be. The key is that you find something – whether with work, volunteering, your family, or something else – that energizes and inspires you when you think about putting your effort into it.
It doesn’t need to be big, and it doesn’t need to impress others (in fact, what others think of it couldn’t be less relevant). It simply needs to be something that feels meaningful and compelling to you. Because that’s where it all starts.
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