Thinking over the “Human Legacy” – at Christmas time?

“How can you make your legacy simply unforgettable?”
Ask me how:
https://www.know.ee/9a6jKsYLfDM
Good Thinking… and Happy Holidays!

Not so seldom I hear from my friends – in whichever “form” they come into play (clients, partners, associates, collaborators, colleagues, suppliers, vendors etc.), as most do become friends anyways… that “deep inside” comes around that “feeling” that “there must be some sort of higher meaning for life” and that the day-to-day upheavals and elbow-rooming distort and deviate us from our original “plans” or “purpose” in life…

Some even want to discuss how to make sure that their “original purposes” don´t happen to get lost (and/or become meaningless) along the way, resuming the conversation onto the “triad“: “purpose-actions-legacy”, much more than we used to do in a few years back.

Maybe this is not only about the “signs of the times”, in the sense that the human mind has been evolving with more discernment and knowledge, and that people have been paying more attention or, at least, trying to pursue jobs, occupations and even hobbies that are more in synch with their internal dispositions, vocations and that seem to be more fulfilling of their dreams.

Another keen observation that comes up quite frequently to the conversation is the one about the “selective mood” in which people learn to admit to themselves that they are (consciously or not) practicing “association screening”, while trying to engage with others for both work and fun. With so many technological resources, social platforms and a wide array of gadgets available to create their digital identity, exercise their preferences and validate their likes and dislikes, it´s no wonder that spontaneity and emotional authenticity end up a bit compromised.

Looking back at my trail, I cannot miss acknowledging similar transformations… from the urge to find purpose and authentically define vision and goals that could express my talents (on the “egocentric” tip of the range) => to converge thoughts and efforts into actions, solutions and methodologies that would make a difference in people´s lives, as well as for their teams, their businesses and their communities, whichever the case (looking from the “altruistic” tip of the range).

I guess the aforementioned “triad” [ “purpose-actions-legacy” ] has manifested itself in me as well, in a gradual but inexorable continuum, becoming clearer and making more sense as the time goes by, while the hair gets whiter and the mind gets less belligerent and more tolerant.

That said, I´m catching myself much more concerned about the “legacy” aspect of the “triad” nowadays than a few years ago, which had been more focused on “finding meaning” and “delivering value” to the familial, academic and corporate environments I happened to be part of and serve.

Not that I have discarded or understated my ever-present commitment to excellence, ethics and results at all, but it seems that those have been so deeply ingrained and incorporated in my ways of thinking and behaving that they might have somewhat “liberated” considerable “mind-space” to appreciate the third component as more of a priority for me, nowadays – meaning, “what is going to be left behind for good, or, at least, for the greater good of many, if that “legacy” could ever be of use or any assistance to anyone?”

And I do recognize this “state-of-mind” is neither particularly original, nor an “out-at-sea-voyage” by a “lone wolf” in the Artic, scratching the ice-cap to dig for a deeper, later-in-life purpose : I witness this trend in just about every other day conversation with aged-like friends, who question themselves about the next steps ahead of their paths – and, invariably, their concerns (or pains!) get out in the open as they have (many times) no idea about how those first steps they took [ to structure their business models to coincide with their dreams, values and vision, and to contribute to a greater good for their families, friends and society ] will survive after they´re gone…

Maybe it was something we all should´ve been considering earlier on along the way, pretty much like in a “tutorial roadmap” , when your “master-plan” gets flagged to signal that you should be doing something to perpetuate your best assets in the form of codes of conducts, well trained successors and among a lot of engaged people – who decided to align with you for what you are instead of what you have – and, thus, decided to adopt some of your viewpoints and commit to generating even greater ideas and results you couldn´t have imagined any time sooner…

Looking back at that “triad”:

• 1) I am positive that something of value has been put in motion and some evolution has taken place from inside onto the outside world. I learned a lot about confirming purpose and mission when I accessed my inner commands most unexpectedly, almost at age 50, after having intuitively followed the calls and challenged myself to conciliate both sides of the brain for the most part of those 35+ years of corporate experience. That made me learn (and confirm) quite a few simple lessons , that I´d further take along my daily walk – and that so very much help me keep flourishing towards higher life standards;

• 2) I´ve managed to put together a very simple (yet vital) set of concepts  to design a methodological framework [ASEED] that could both be easily grasped and efficiently deployed, as to facilitate business transformations, people engagement and sustainability of brands in their markets;

• 3) I´ve been granted a lot of spontaneous smiles and warm hugs along the way, after having learned and practiced a down-to-earth, solution-focused coaching method that resulted in improved self-esteem, personal reconnections, authentic communication and leap-frogging executive career changes;

• 4) I´ve been blessed to come across “conscious business” concepts and adopt them as a guideline for authentic communication and interpersonal relations, helping clients and teams to break the cultural chains to their past history and embrace a protagonist construction of their future, with authentic communication, impeccable commitment and consensual decisions; I feel grateful for all the camaraderie, teamwork, coaching and mentoring I have received and keep on getting in my own conscious leadership transformation process;

• 5) I feel privileged to be in touch with outstanding groups of people who keep their minds open to new possibilities and want to help the world to become a better and more equal place for everyone, ranging from business networking, innovation and design thinking to AI, IoT, internationalization and global ethics – and feel fortunate to keep on learning new and valuable stuff on a daily basis;

• 6) I´m glad to have embraced the cause of digital inclusion for seniors and to advocate on behalf of a healthy and gracious longevity with useful maturity; pretty much at the opposite side of the age-track, but equally important and pleasing, is the connection that I´ve been developing with Millennials and GenZ´s – and it drives me younger every time the opportunity arises with the chance  to reduce the generational gap and listen actively to a whole new world of ideas and choices that are building the future of the planet;

• 7) I´m glad I have found ways to love myself and, thus, love others and be grateful for what I once used to take for granted. I´ve learned to develop relationships based on trust and keep them close no matter their whereabouts, valuing them for who they are and regard them as both priceless and as more worthwhile than any precious assets the world could offer. I´ve learned that “money does not breed money; collaboration does!”

As for the third leg of the “triad” [ “legacy” ] I hope to get some time ahead to offer what I´ve already learned to those friends who have been clinging to the topic in our deep conversations. Just like it happens with any human topic that revolves around inner feelings, dreams and accomplishments, I know how hard it can be to look in the rear–mirror with no mask. Hopefully I get to invite you to one of those fruitful conversations and we might come up with amazing ideas to test, validate and apply to our immediate reality. That would sum up to the best cup of coffee in town, allow me some modesty aside.

Last, but not least: why did all this “brainstorming” happen to come to mind at Christmas time?

Well, despite the fact that I´ve got some “sexagenarian experience” with the holidays, it seems that both minds and hearts seem to converge to reevaluate pro´s and con´s of the “passing year” at these especially cheerful (for most privileged) and/or life-touching moments (for many), regardless of creed, devotion or denomination.

I kinda always felt that the season reverberates some sort of “special energy” that makes us question life and matters more holistically and take some quality spare-time to reflect on where we are going and at what pace and (personal, social and global) cost.

My latest reflections have been somewhat pungent this year (2019), considering that the global scenario has been fervent with contradictions and mutual retaliations in many levels, and that the future of the planet should be of utmost concern towards converging our most effective actions to enable future generations to live plentifully, abundantly and peacefully.

I felt like taking a historical trip to Judea, A.D. (no matter how “discombabulated” that idea may sound) to reflect a bit about 2 questions, as follows:

– In regards to: “As the (original) message was to simply love each other…”

• 1) At what point did we get it so wrong?

• 2) What´s gonna take us to get it right?

I seemed to have gotten some answers to those two questions:

• 1) At what point did we get it so wrong?

• 2) What´s gonna take us to get it right?

As I was learning from the thinking, these two quotes also came back to mind:

 “Life is simple, the plan is simple… do not let it get complicated!”

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” [ Gandhi ]

Good Thinking… and Happy Holidays!

Luiz Botelho

Botelho & Global Associates

https://www.know.ee/9a6jKsYLfDM

Global Partnerships:

– Cultural Transformation: Axialent

– Business Networking: Engagers 

– Franchising USA: AASFA

– Fundación Capitalismo Consciente: Meetup

– Speaker Profile: BASE S/A

Preserve the Environment:
Zero Waste, Plastic, Carbon Emissions, Pollution:
https://www.torontoenvironment.org/zerowaste_benefits
Conceito Lixo-Zero:
https://ilzb.org/conceito-lixo-zero
SOS Amazônia:
https://www.sosamazonia.org.br/conteudo/
Amazon Watch: Protecting the rainforest and our climate by supporting indigenous peoples
https://amazonwatch.org