Elegant Endurance

April 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

So far we’ve talked about a legacy project starting with an idea and as it takes on mass, it grows. Included in that growth is a definition of the roles and processes it takes to become a reality so the project can unfold smoothly, deliver its benefits and then others can carry it on without your direct involvement. In that way …

Great Legacies Are Enduring. The project takes shape and each aspect of it is developed with an identifiable and replicable method – a system that others can learn, teach to many others and have any important course corrections along the way. Your legacy begins to take on a life of its own.

Part of the process is to build a network around you.  Others who are moved by your project want to be involved, ususally in a very collaborative way too. From there, it can develop exponentially. The money needed to build it appears, either because you can contribute it or because funding is available from others – or both. Professional services needed to expand the project are identified (and may even be contributed).

The other people who show up to help operate it and carry it on will also allow you to let go. You can step away, knowing it will continue as designed, to accomplish its defined mission and create a benefit for the intended recipients that can last for many future generations. 

Templates, and tons of existing resources, exist to help you create your legacy. Starting with only your passion, your good and beneficial idea can be developed using time-tested structures and methods that allow you to get it started, involve others in a systematic way, stay involved as long as you like and then step aside to allow it to continue to make a positive enduring difference in the world.

Add the following to your Legacy Notebook under “Element 12 – Enduring”:

  • Is there a template out there – another individual and/or their existing organization or business operation – that is doing the sort of thing you’d like your project to do?
  • Or is there someone else or an organization that’s doing something completely different, but whose process could be applied to get the sort of results you’d like to bring about?
  • Write down the ones that come to mind, and as you notice more, jot them down here, too.

Here’s to your best life…
Cheers!

Dolly and Eliza

Filed Under: Blog, Designing Your Legacy, Enlightened Leadership, Personal Legacy, Purpose Tagged With: Collaboration, Contribution, create, creating, enduring, Enlightened Leadership, future generations, Legacy, legacy project, living legacy, Women

Women Business Owners Positioned To Make A Better World

October 22, 2009 By 2 Comments

Legacy development expert offers free tips in honor of Make A Difference Day

RENO, NV – Women professionals and business owners are putting their unique mark on the world by creating positive changes not only in business but also in their communities. There are more women who have created successful enterprises and built significant wealth than ever before. Many of these successful women are also making significant positive changes in their communities and the world at large by creating lasting legacies- in keeping with the purpose of Make A Difference Day on October 24.

“These incredible women leaders – who often don’t see themselves that way – have enjoyed rewarding careers, built their own businesses and experienced tremendous success, and are now looking for ways to give back to their communities in a long-term, sustainable way,” says Dolly Garlo, RN, JD, PCC who advises successful mid-career women who are considering just that, and what’s next beyond their careers. “I receive numerous calls and emails from women with amazing backgrounds, knowledge and skills who want to contribute in a more authentic and significant way, but aren’t sure where to start.”

The annual Make A Difference Day holiday is the largest national day of helping others in the United States.  Founded by USA WEEKEND Magazine in partnership with HandsOn Network 19 years ago, it is also supported by Newman’s Own, the late, great Paul Newman’s social enterprise – which is now run by his daughter, Nell Newman.  In honor of this year’s events, Garlo offers the following tips to help leaders interested in creating a bigger positive impact.

§  Demonstrate your values and interests by contributing your time and skills.  Women business owners have a huge depth of knowledge and professional skills that public benefit organizations need.  Serve on a board or advisory committee to learn more about how public benefit agencies work and help them implement effective, efficient and profitable strategies.  The benefit gained by these agencies and the individuals and community it serves are a part of your personal legacy.

§  Inventory your skills, assets and wealth today. There are three types of legacies: financial only, participation only or a mixture of the two.  Which will yours be?  Take stock today of what you want to accomplish and what you will need to build your legacy.

§  Think big, start small. Many great beneficial causes have started with little money and by very young people.  Start thinking today what steps you can take and what things you can put into place to create your legacy.  Make a plan. Talk to like minded people. Research what it will take to bring your legacy to life.  Such legacy projects are born out of passion and quickly take a life of their own.

§  Planning for the future starts today! Most people think of legacies as an end of life activity!  In fact, more and more individuals are creating lasting legacies while they are still young enough to see them grow and deliver their good work in the world.  It can be an authentic expression of genuine interests, skills you enjoy using, involving and benefitting others from a community you care about, and they are built from inception knowing you’ll step away and allow others to continue.

§  Be inclusive and involve many.  To make a very significant impact on your community, it takes a lot of cooperation and support.  Share your passion.  Invite others to support your vision and goals.  It is a great way to teach another generation about business, wealth and contribution while building your legacy and making a lasting difference in the world.

Garlo is founder of Thrive!! Inc. and a program called Creating Legacy (www.CreatingLegacy.com).  A former critical care nurse and health care attorney turned professionally trained coach, she assists small business owners and professionals with business and strategic marketing development, succession and exit-planning, and life design post-career including legacy development. Garlo brings more than 30 years of professional, writing, speaking and facilitation services – and her own legacy creating experience, establishing the Garlo Heritage Nature Preserve (http://www.senecacounty.com/parks/Garlo.htm) – to bear in helping clients make a difference now that lasts for generations. For more information also visit www.CreatingLegacyNetwork.com.

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contact:

Dolly M. Garlo, RN, JD, PCC
President, Thrive!! Inc.
Email
Mobile: 305-849-8495

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Career Transition, Change, creating, Give back, Legacy, Women

Passion for Life is the Stuff of Legacy

October 14, 2009 By 1 Comment

My friend and fellow blogger Jeannette recently lost her beloved husband.  Having been married only a few months now myself, but to someone who is the-love-of-my-life-like-I-had-no-idea-could-be, I can empathize with the depth of the void that loss must be. 

A consumate writer, Jeannette wrote in her Write Speak Sell blog, a tribute to her husband describing what he left in the minds and hearts, not to mention lives of others — his legacy.  It reminded me that we all have a legacy, however conscious we are of creating it, and others will be impacted by it.  And they are most profoundly impacted by the things that we do, that we do well and happily because we are most passionate about them.  Read Jeannette’s beautiful tribute here.  It’s a legacy in itself, a legacy of tribute tangibly preserved and offered to the world in a way that will benefit many who read it.

She also included a lovely blog post from Seth Godin about decision making, concluding that recognizing and exercising our power to make decisions allows us to make a bigger difference.  Very nicely stated. 

When you let the notion of legacy develop in your own consciousness, what bubbles up about it?  What does your life mean to others?  What would you like it to mean?  How might you get into action to create something tangible around your passions that will benefit others?  The world needs more of that …

Filed Under: Blog, Designing Your Legacy, Legacy Stories Tagged With: Action, Contribution, creating, Impact, Passion, Seth Godin, Write Speak Sell

Creating Your Legacy Starts Today!

October 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

My new program, 7 Steps to Creating Your Legacy, debuts today! I can’t wait to see what the participants do with the materials – what they consciously choose to create in the world, how they decide what they want their impact to be and in what manner they’ll carry it out.

Watching all that unfold will be magical!

And the program itself is brand new, so it will be a creation unfolding as well – with the added energies of the group members.  Beginning any new process always carries with it excitment “with an edge …”  That’s how it is with the process of creation, and we’ll all be in that together adding the potential for the experience of some great synergy.  This pioneering group of leaders will be taking action that makes changes in the world – we will have our own “butterfly effect” (maybe many of them).  So exciting to see what that will be.

Right foot, left foot, one at a time begins the “journey of a thousand steps” that any significant project includes.  Will keep you posted on how it all unfolds.  If you want more information, please feel free to contact me!  Here we go …

Filed Under: Blog, Designing Your Legacy Tagged With: Action, Butterfly Effect, Change, creating, Impact, Leadership, Synergy

Just Start

August 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Creating anything just takes starting. Sometimes it takes starting over, or re-starting or refining an idea. But creation lives in action. So you actually have to start. From there you can build, experiment, have learning experiences (fewer if you learn from the examples of others and get help and support where you need it), and grow the project.

When you start, other things happen. The invisible forces of nature are also called into action. Synchronicity, serendipity, precession, perturbation – my personal favorites – and a host of other natural laws are set into motion, too.

This poem has always said it best for me:

Commitment

Until one is committed
there is hesitancy,
the chance to draw back,
always ineffectiveness.

Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation)
there is one elementary truth,
the ignorance of which
kills countless ideas and splendid plans:
that the moment one definitely commits oneself,
then Providence moves, too.

All sorts of things occur to help one
that would otherwise never have occurred.
A whole stream of events issues from decision,
raising in one’s favor
all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance,
which no man could have dreamt
would have come his way.

I have leaned a deep respect
for one of Goethe’s couplets:

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can . . . begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”

– W.N. Murray, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition

To what act of creation will you commit yourself to start? You might be amazed to see where things go from there. How can I and the team here at Creating Legacy help?

Filed Under: Blog, Designing Your Legacy Tagged With: Action, commitment, creating, natural law, precession, serendipity, synchronicity