My New Year’s Resolution: To be more conscious of the legacy I’m leaving behind
I am not a huge fan of New Year’s Resolutions. Behind the optimism of a resolution is the reality that it will most likely be kept. The cynic in me believes that the very act of defining a commitment as a “New Year’s Resolution” deem it to be a failure.
Nevertheless, I do love the freshness a new year brings and find myself naturally looking into the new year with a certain hopefulness that this time around I will be or do something I’ve been longing to, but as of yet haven’t. The list of things I want to do, be, or accomplish in 2010 are numerous and while i won’t list them here, I do want to define a singular New Year’s Resolution for 2010.
I want to be more conscious of the legacy I’m leaving behind.
I am much less concerned about what I accomplish in this life than how I will be known once it’s over. Every day I spend looking into the eyes of my children make me painfully aware that they are destined to take on the various traits, perspectives, and characteristics I model for them. Besides my kids, I realize that with my existence, I am able to make a mark on this planet and I desperately hope that my mark is a positive one.
With “legacy” on my mind, I realize that technology has made available an infinite amount of ways in which to document our thoughts, memories, experiences, opinions, and even our personality. I want to recognize the value of these resources to leave behind a legacy for my kids.
So in 2010, I want to make an effort to document the projects I am a part of, the ideas, thoughts , & conversations that someone might find value in, and leave a trail that will allow my great-great grandaughter to know what life was like in my shoes in this time and in this place.
*On a side note: of all the reasons to use twitter regularly, the most convincing reason (in my opinion) is the logging of thought and activity that will be able to be accessed by my family for generations to come.