May 10, 2021
“At age 50, everyone has the face he deserves.” – George Orwell
When I read this quote, it jolted me a bit. Orwell is right, even in the faces of strangers, you can tell who has spent more time laughing than frowning – who rolled with life’s tumbles and who never recovered.
I link his words to something I believe: That our hands help us shape and define the direction of our lives. They reflect our choices and draft a story that will someday be the legacy of our life and leadership – in our homes, our communities and in our places of work. They do what our head and heart has led them to pursue.
Each day when I look at my hands, I am reminded that it’s up to me to direct how I use them. It’s my choice to be intentional about the story I am allowing them to write.
Take a quick moment and look at your hands…
What do they represent and what do you want them to represent in your lifetime?
What story have they written thus far?
What stories do you want them to continue to write and not write?
What difference do you want your life to make?
As you ponder these questions, and the many more that come to you, be mindful that how you influence your hands is within your control. When you choose to intentionally design your own life story, you place yourself in it and own it.
We only get answers to the questions we are brave enough to ask ourselves and wholeheartedly answer. My hope is that this message will bring some of those questions to the forefront for you. That you’ll no longer put off the reflective questions that allow you: To think. To grow. To make edits. To lean into your life with intent.
The questions we ask ourselves are different at different stages of life. The funny thing about the questions of life is that the ones we ask at the end are the ones we should begin with. It is tough to craft a meaningful life without considering our end: What do we hope for? What do we dream for, relative to our lives, our family, and our children?
“The greater part of your legacy is made of invisible things. An unseen legacy possesses so much more power because it begins inside of you and stirs within your heart and mind. It’s your character, values, and beliefs. The fruit of the unseen legacy is anything but invisible. Invisible qualities, not money, make life worth living. Because of these qualities you build a legacy worth passing on.” – David Green