“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful … that’s what matters to me.” —Steve Jobs, The Wall Street Journal, 1993

Steve Jobs also famously said, “I want to put a ding in the universe.”

Now that’s a legacy.

If you were to die tomorrow, what would you leave behind?

Many of us would answer with something about our families or friends or maybe even an inheritance, if we’ve been fortunate and wise enough to make that provision.

But what about beyond that? Have you ever given any thought to what legacy you want to leave on a grander scale? If up until now you have been playing it safe and taking the road well traveled, like so many of us do, you would still leave a legacy of some kind.

But how much impact would it have on the world?

Can your business, products and services impact lives?

The answer is, overwhelmingly, yes.

When you begin developing yourself beyond the status quo and really start looking inside, and move further into the life that you want, the idea of leaving a legacy becomes more central, more powerful.

In my own business I grew from working to make an impact on my own life to working to impact others’ lives in the process. It was in this progression of growing and changing that I discovered the amazing fulfillment of helping others reach their goals. I realized my purpose.

Inspiring people to change their lives … that was the legacy I wanted to leave.

But keep in mind that this did not happen overnight. I wasn’t thinking about my legacy when I was working days, nights, weekends—you name it—just to get my business off the ground.

Only at the right time, after working on my personal development consistently and seeking out the big picture of my life with my trusted mentors, could I have the vision to think that big.

How to Shift from Short-term Vision to the Future

Think of how you order your day. Is any part of your business day spent considering your future?

This is so easy to build in and put into practice. Think of a time in your day that you can devote solely to big-picture stuff. Maybe right after lunch or first thing in the morning when you’re still fresh. Whatever works for you.

Maybe you would rather schedule time with a mentor or coach, like I did, to help you see the big picture more clearly.

The point is that you are intentionally making yourself available to dream bigger for yourself. That dreaming bigger will almost certainly lead to impacting others in a positive way as well.

Why Leaving a Legacy Is Magical

I use the word magical because that’s exactly what leaving a legacy truly looks like. When you go beyond yourself and build practices, products, and people that go far beyond your reach, that has an element of the magical to it.

Do you think Anthony Robbins had any idea, when he was just a broke young man who wanted to help people live life better, that his impact would be felt by millions of people?

What I want you to see here and to internalize is that, as Marianne Williamson says, “Your playing small does not serve the world.”

You are actually meant to prosper in this life, and you do it by being of service first in small, consistent ways which translate to really big ways later on.

That is what changes lives.

The world is waiting.

Are you ready?