The Legacy of Your Choices: A Short Story That Will Inspire You to Live With Purpose

Douglas Vandergraph

Join Douglas Vandergraph as he shares a moving short story that explores the legacy we create through our choices. Are you living in a way that will be remembered for the right reasons? This story will inspire you to pause and think about the mark you’re leaving on the world. By focusing on the importance of each decision, Douglas helps viewers connect with their personal purpose and create a legacy that matters.  #LegacyBuilding #MeaningfulChoices #PersonalLegacy #LifeImpact #LifeChoices #LivingWithPurpose #ShortStory #ReflectOnLife #LegacyOfLife #InspiringDecisions

Transcript

00:00Hey friends, welcome to today's video. Today is going to be the greatest day of your life.

00:07You know, I want to tell you a story today. It's a story that was shared to me by somebody that I truly love and care about.

00:14And now I want to share this message with you.

00:17You know, imagine for a moment, Ben, a young rabbi, has just arrived in town.

00:24His very first duty is one of the most somber responsibilities a rabbi can have, a funeral service.

00:31Now Albert, the man being honored, lived into his 80s but passed without a single living relative.

00:38Ben, having never met Albert, paused from his sermon to open the floor to offer the congregation a chance to share something kind, something memorable about the man's life.

00:53The silence was deafening. Gently, Ben asked again.

00:58Many of you knew Albert for years. Surely someone can say something nice.

01:04After a long, uncomfortable pause, a voice finally rose from the back of the room and said,

01:11Well, his brother was worse.

01:14Now think about that for a moment. If you were to leave this world tomorrow, what would people say about you?

01:22Would you feel proud of the life you lived, of the choices you made, of the people you touched?

01:29You know, we often get so caught up in the chase, chasing deadlines, chasing success, chasing approval,

01:37that we forget to ask ourselves the most important question.

01:41What is the legacy I'm leaving behind?

01:45And, you know, few of us would be satisfied if our only legacy were things like,

01:50she always got what she wanted, or he never missed a deadline.

01:55You know, we yearn for something deeper as human beings, something that resonates long after we've gone.

02:02What will they say about the kindness you showed, the love you shared, or the lives you made just a little brighter because you were in them?

02:13There's an old saying, if you want to know how to live your life, think about what you'd like people to say after you die,

02:21and live backwards from there.

02:24You know, we earn our eulogies with the choices we make every single day.

02:29And Rabbi Harold Kushner once wrote,

02:32Our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth, or power.

02:38Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we figured out how to live so that our lives matter,

02:45so that the world will be at least a little different for our having passed through it.

02:52And that's where we're all, that's what we're all really searching for, isn't it?

02:57Meaning, to know that the world is a little bit better, a little bit brighter, because we were in it.

03:05And today, as you go back into your life, into your routines, into your interactions, into your everyday moments,

03:15I ask you to ask yourself, how am I leaving my mark?

03:20And what am I doing that matters?

03:23Because when the time comes for somebody to stand and say something about your life,

03:28let it be something that makes the world stop for a moment.

03:32Something that speaks to the goodness and love you left behind.

03:38This is how we live a life that matters.

03:43You know what? You matter.

03:46And I care about you, and I believe in you.

03:49And I know if anybody in this world is worth goodness and compassion, it assuredly is you.

03:58Share with others around you that goodness and compassion.

04:02Be good to those you love.

04:04There's a magic in the world that will come your way, and I can't explain this magic.

04:09But when you do good in the world, do good for those around you, good comes into your life.

04:16And better circumstances and more abundance will come your way assuredly.

04:23I believe in you. I'm going to be back tomorrow with some more great things,

04:28and some things to keep us thinking.

04:30Because you know what? When we're thinking, we're putting ourselves in the best position possible

04:36to achieve the goals and dreams and desires we have for this life.

04:41I'll see you tomorrow, friends. Take care.

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