“We are all in transition all the time.” Ed Brenegar.
Life’s seasons are transitions. We are in a season at any given time. Transitions mark the end of one season and the beginning of another. In Kenya, the presidency has changed hands ushering in a new government and a new season. After 10 years as president, Uhuru Kenyatta left office. What is his legacy? It is a mixed bag. President Ruto assumes office and he too will leave a legacy. What he does as president will be his greatest test.
England is another country experiencing transitions. They have a new Prime Minister Liz Truss after Boris Johnson resigned. The passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the subsequent assent of King Charles III brings in a new season for the monarchy. Both the queen and Boris Johnson have left their legacies for the British people. Former British colonies have expressed strong negative sentiments about the queen’s role in Britain’s legacy of colonialism.
Craig D. Lounsbrough said, “An inheritance is what you leave with people. A legacy is what you leave in them.”
In January 2020, I visited the MOSH Museum in Jacksonville Florida. They had a touring exhibition called The Legacy of Lynching: Confronting Racial Terror in America. It was a harrowing account of a legacy of hate and intolerance in America. It included chilling video testimonies from descendants of lynching victims and former death row inmates directly affected by the lynching legacy.
America, the land of the free and home of the brave, continues to struggle with racial injustices in the 21st century. It has gone through many transitions but the legacy of racism refuses to die. This is an example of how deep-seated a negative legacy can become. It can take centuries to reverse.
In Africa, we have had leaders who left great legacies. They are the exception but their legacies shine bright in a continent crippled by the legacy of colonialism and starved of good leadership. Among them are South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, Burkina Faso’s Thomas Sankara, Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere and Liberia’s Ellen Sirleaf.
These beacons of hope remind us that against great odds, one can still create impact and leave a legacy in their transitions.
What is your legacy? We all leave a legacy in our seasons; family, workplace, friendships, love life, children, etc. Legacy is our impact on the relationships we have. We are writing our autobiographies.
Maya Angelou said that “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you make them feel.”
Everyone has a sphere of influence. What is yours? You need to know it. It should be your main focus when creating impact. Here are some important questions to ask yourself:
• What impact do I want to have?
• Who do I want to impact and how?
• What can I do where I am now?
• Who can I do it with?
We are all in transition. This season too will end. You will leave a legacy. What legacy do you want to leave? Start working on it now. Start leaving your signature in people’s lives. Your actions today will determine your impact. Take the initiative to create impact that matters in your circle of influence. Start today. Make this season count!!
