Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been in the process of finishing up the publication of my third book A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Beach* (When an Extraordinary God Reveals Himself to Ordinary People). I’m writing about that here for a couple of reasons. First, I want to let any of you who are writers know that I’ve had a positive experience with Xulon Press, who is a Christian self-publishing company that markets several different book packages from a basic to an elite version. I went with the elite version and am glad I did. I had forgotten that the elite package included a video trailer for the book, but it does, and the trailer was release on Friday. If you’d like to take a look, you can find it at: GodTube: http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=191FJJNU
YouTube: https://youtu.be/yZfYnnMpGfk
The other reason I’m writing about finishing my third book is to encourage you who may be ENFP, as I am, to stick with your dreams whatever they may be, particularly if they are in the area of legacy building. A couple of years ago I heard Mark Batterson say the reason he writes books is for his grandchildren. What he meant by that is what is written down may be passed on from one generation to the next. The moment I heard him say that, I realized that all the unwritten books I have outlined need to be written. They need to be written, because I can leave a legacy to unborn generations through those recored words. So can you!
If it isn’t writing books, maybe it’s journaling, or photo journaling, or video recording that will be your media for leaving your legacy. As leaders we need to be focused both on today and the future. If we’re always focused on the future, we miss out on the opportunities today presents to us. If we’re only focused on the day, we’ll live in the moment, and forget that we have something to offer those who come after us. The worst thing of all is if we live in the past, regretting what we did or didn’t do, and missing out on the opportunities to live today to the fullest and plan for the future.
What is it that you want to do that will last after your lifetime? Having just completed a book project, and getting into the marketing phase, I know I need to keep my attention on the here and now, because I believe the book has value to others and want to get it into the hands of as many people as possible. At the same time, I need to start on the next book. At this moment I have a couple dozen book outlines, and if I write one a year, I’ll need to live to 84 to complete them. I’d prefer to write several books a year, and add more to the list of books I’ll write, so i can leave a legacy to future generations that is not just quantitively significant, but much more importantly qualitatively significant.
I urge you to take some time today, tomorrow or sometime this week to consider what your legacy may be, and to start to plan for its development. Schedule some time each week, if not daily then at least weekly to flesh it out and see that it becomes a reality over time. I know the satisfaction I’ve had over the past several days as people have come up to me and said, “I just read your book, and it impacted more,” or “I just read your book on my Kindle, and I’m ordering the book, because I want to highlight so many passages to remember for the future,” or “I read your book in one sitting, and I don’t usually do that. I couldn’t put it down,” makes the time and effort put into worth well.
Here’s to leading better, by taking the time to start planning and carrying out your legacy plan–today!