Day 527. I love personal development and am committed to personal growth. For the last couple of years a recurring theme has surfaced in most if not all personal development publications: leaving a legacy. Basically, think about what you will leave once you’re gone. I thought about it, trying to identify the one or two things that would make me live, work and play differently to leave the so-called legacy and I came to the following conclusion: there’s a deep confusion between doing our best possible work and working to leave a legacy.

Did Galileo Galilei want to leave a legacy? No! He wanted to prove the earth was orbiting the sun. And for that he did his best possible work.

Did Martin Luther King want to leave a legacy? No! He wanted equal rights for all. And for that he did his best possible work.

Did Marie Curie want to leave a legacy? No! She discovered radio-activity and wanted to use it to generate energy. And for that she did her best possible work.

I could go and on and on. All those famous individuals did not have the goal to leave a legacy, they had a goal to reach and delivered masterful work. Because they did masterful work and stand above many other individuals, they left a legacy. Legacy is not something YOU chose, is something you leave and OTHERS chose. Legacy is a product of your masterful work. Forget the legacy, focus on your art and craft, and day in, day out, produce the best for you and others. Legacy will follow by itself.

Day 526. Life is movement, life is breathing, life is smiling! Whatever happens during the course of the day, keep doing these three things:

• take some time to breathe, feeling the air going deep in your lungs
• smile at others and at events that happen
• keep moving

Life is too short to do every day the same thing, complaining about what does not work. It’s a wonderful gift that we need to celebrate every day. So breathe, smile, and move!

Weathering the storm

Rule number 1: Switch your TV off! – Third Part

Day 525. So you want to try to go on a TV detox. The main question remains what to replace TV by. Whether you were watching TV one hour or three hours a day, it’s just possible to take this time and transform it in something not only meaningful but helping you to reach your goals, to realize your dreams. Here are 7 ideas to replace your TV time that do not need efforts, just a decision:

• Go to bed and sleep. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention calls sleep deprivation a public health epidemic. It can have horrendous consequences. This article from the Harvard Business Review shows the correlation between sleep deprivation and cheating. So get one hour or more of sleep every night and enjoy the benefits of a good night of sleep.
• Have a drink or a dinner with friends. No need to spend a fortune. This could be just a bring-and-share at your place. You will cultivate friendship and create social bounds. A 2013 study by the London School of Economics found that respondents’ moods improved by more than 8 per cent when they were with friends.
• Write letters or emails to your friends and family. There are so many things you claim never have time to do. Among those are saying our friends and family that you love them and why you love them. Take time to write it, it will make miracles.
• Prepare your next speech for your Toastmasters club. If you belong to any form of nonprofit, like Toastmasters or Rotary, there are tons of things you can do to improve your life or the one of others. On a Toastmaster’s journey, you need to deliver over forty speeches, and this requires some time to prepare. If you invest some time, you can propel your career to new heights.
• Spend some time with your spouse or your kids. Have a chat about your next holidays, the project you want to realize together. Play a game of Risk or chess. Quality time is important for a healthy relationship.
• Read a good book. Maybe you do not like to read or maybe you have not read for a long time. Remember what you liked as a kid and try. Or find a topic that you really like and purchase a book at the local bookstore on that topic. The idea is to rejuvenate something you are passionate about. Passion drives action.
• Make love. If you have a significant other, invest some time to make love, spend time cuddling. Love is the most incredible human feeling and making love is said to be the best activity for health. No cost, huge return!

Those are simple ideas, and I am sure you can come up with hundreds of others. The idea is shifting from being a spectator from being an actor. Nothing good will happen if you stay in your couch watching others having a blast or playing a role. Despite reality show success, people tend to forget that in reality show, there’s the world show. A show is not the real life, it’s fake, it’s just an entertainment. Do not get brainwashed by fake lives, live yours fully!

Day 523 Just for the fun of it… Sunday is like no other day. It’s supposed to be a day without constraints. However, it’s not a day without some routine so you make it as productive as any other day of the week. Hey routine has not to be lame, it can be fun too. Here’s mine: lounging in bed, late breakfast, a long run in the forest with my wife (slow pace, long discussions), some gardening (there’s always something to do or to clean) under a glorious sunshine, checking kids’ homework, waterskiing, surfing or kitesurfing depending on wind condition, enjoying a nice barbeque, going back on water, and if all goes well, we can almost call it a day.

The only parallel with other days? It’s full, of action, of love and of care. Grateful!