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The Legacy List

My Bucket List for Humanity

By Diana HayesPublished 3 years ago 8 min read
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The Legacy List
Photo by Carl Heyerdahl on Unsplash

I like to read bucket lists. People give so much thought to what they’d like to accomplish. Next year, I’ll be turning the corner on a meaningful milestone birthday. I decided to reinvent the bucket list because I want to do something meaningful with my life. So, I developed a bucket list for humanity. I call it the legacy list.

The legacy list isn’t about things I’d like to own or places I wish to visit. It’s about goals but not for my own self advancement. The legacy list is simple. It’s not about looking out for number one but helping just one. It’s about everyone else. While I’m here, I’d like to do my part by giving something back.

This list isn’t about acquiring money to become more philanthropic. I’ve devised a list in which I can complete most items without money. After all, it doesn’t cost anything to give a compliment, kind word or smile to someone you pass on the street. Everyone gains by working collectively together. If I truly leave a footprint in this world, I hope it’s a worthwhile mark imprinted with change. I’d like to be remembered for what I did, not what I own.

The following is a list inspired by possibly watching too many holiday movies. It’s my own and it gives me a reason to wake up. I encourage you to create your own legacy list. If you don’t, then check off one from my list. One dream builds onto another and I hope your legacy list is a life changing experience for you. I know mine will be.

1. Help a homeless person get off the streets permanently- This was my sister’s idea and I loved it so much I put it first. It’s ambitious and would require a bit of money. Let’s put money aside. I’d love to help one person into an apartment and off the street. My plan is to get them a place to live and help them pay for the basics of food, rent and necessities for an entire year. Within that year, I’d help them get a job and they would be able to fund themselves. I‘d ask nothing in return except they do the same for someone else.

2. Pixie dust paper- I’ll admit I’ve already done this one. Most people call it money but when I leave it by gallons of milk in the refrigerator section of the convenient store and on the counters by the coffee machines, I refer to it as pixie dust paper trails. What’s a few dollars? It makes you feel like a million bucks to leave money behind knowing someone will find it and feel fortunate. If they feel blessed for even a moment, it doesn’t matter who finds it or their monetary status in life.

3. Free motivational speaker- I’m truly inspired by the prospect of motivating other people. I’d like to speak at youth centers. Our next generation of children is vital. I’d like to motivate individuals in prison. I think everyone should have the opportunity for rehabilitation. I’d speak anywhere I was invited. I feel purpose is a key component to harness inventive ideas and success in this world. I think motivational speaking has the power to change a life.

4. Passing out motivational books for free- It doesn’t cost much to invest in a few copies of your favorite motivational books. Why not pass out a copy to someone who you admire who’s working on their dream? How many of us are friendly with a coffee barista, convenient store clerk or fast food employee? They all have a goal and if you can’t fund it for them, you can fuel it. I don’t want to donate motivational books to a library hoping someone will check them out. I want to donate positive thinking to someone I know who spreads it, so they can read it and spread it even more. It’s called inspiring dreams.

5. Daily phone calls to military families- This goal compromises an organization I’d develop. I know there’s a fantastic support system for military families within the military community. However, I’d like to create a support group in which volunteers participate by calling a wife, husband or child of a military soldier each day. I think individuals in the military are brave and deserve respect. They make a tremendous sacrifice and so do their family members. It’s my dream to call a military spouse of family member simply to say hello and ask them if they’re doing well that day.

6. Pay for someone’s groceries- I’ve seen plenty of YouTube videos where people do this at grocery and shopping stores. Paying for groceries and necessities is a start and definitely at the top of my list. However, it’s tremendous fun to imagine purchasing more than a grocery list. I heard a story about a girl buying lots of nail polish and manicure items at a Dollar Tree and when her card was declined, the woman behind her paid over $40 in cash for everything. You never know when you’re paying for someone’s meal or their dream.

7. Volunteer at a hospital or nursing home- I feel the elderly get lost in the society shuffle. I have cared for elderly people in a nursing capacity. I’d like to care for them in a conversation capacity. Our elders are a wealth of knowledge. I feel I would benefit more than them. Elderly people need to know someone is listening. Whether in a hospital setting or nursing home, I’d like to be the one hearing them.

8. Pay for a child’s school lunch- I’ve heard too many stories about children not being able to pay for lunch. Our kids require fuel to learn. Food is imperative nourishment to get through the school day. One lunch can offer more than a meal. It can provide self esteem, compassion and concern for a young adult who is attempting to learn.

9. Pay for a teacher’s school supplies- So many school teachers have to pay for their own students school supplies. It would be a nice sentiment to let a teacher know their value. My goal is to buy the supplies, so a teacher doesn’t have to.

10. Start a program that teaches our youth about career choices- Sounds simple but I feel a lot of options to make an income or build a dream aren’t discussed in our school system. The entrepreneurial spirit, for example, is a dream I pursued much later in life because it simply wasn’t mentioned or encouraged in school. Youth is everything and if my educational structure had taught me how to start a business, I would have added extra years to my venture sooner. The internet wasn’t available during my youth and I wasn’t provided an abundance of career options by adult influences. I might have pursued the following careers, if I had known about them: archeologist, stock broker, museum curator, advertising, antiquity expert or scientist developing medical cures. Most classes teach you how to pass a test. I think it’s a beneficial wealth of knowledge to be advised of career choices.

11. Dream School- This is similar to my previous goal but the idea is simple. People of all ages need to feed their minds and realize there is so much opportunity in this world. The regular school system and adult system of jobs no longer allows the opportunity to dream big. I would like to devise a program that allows people to dream. It would require a network of professionals devoted to changing the world through occupational choices. Every participant would have to do this without self advancement. Their goal would be simply to talk about their own occupation and inspire others into a new profession or skill. It would be free and expose people that want to find a way out of a rut into a new way of thinking. This allows people the opportunity to be guided into new ideas and revise their plans. It’s not good enough to see successful people on television. We need to know how they got there. Let the dream network begin.

12. Just One- My most significant endeavor in this life will be to lift up one person. This inspires me the most. I’m reaching out. I want to find just one that doesn’t look out for number one. When I find that person, I will help them out anyway I can and ask them to do the same for someone else. A strong foundation builds goals and people. A strong foundation endures and it starts with just one.

I will definitely be adding new items to this list, especially for each one I complete. I hope I’ve enlisted you to begin your own legacy list. It doesn’t have to involve money. The results can be life changing for the recipient. That’s how you leave a legacy. You leave it through another person. It’s a new way of thinking. Your legacy is a different kind of empire. Money talks but so do people. The results of the change you create in people far outweigh paper.

This is simply a start for me. I know this list will change and grow, as each year passes. If I only complete one item on this list, I will have contributed to this world. It’s not about gain all the time. That’s easy. The legacy list offers a new option. Focus not on yourself but other people.

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About the Creator

Diana Hayes

Thank you for reading. A ❤️is free. Tips are appreciated. From thoughts to words, I hope to inspire you.

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