Creating an IMPACT With Your Life & Legacy

[Bud Coggins]

Have you ever asked yourself…?
What is my true Purpose in Life?
What will my Legacy be?

People the world over have wrestled with these questions since time began. For some people these are answered at a young age; for others, later in life. For the majority they are never answered.

On life’s journey we are presented with opportunities to answer these questions but, either we don’t see them or we choose to ignore the signs. I, for one, believe that everything happens for a reason. Many times we wonder why something (good or bad) is happening to us and realize years later the reason it happened.

Reflecting on many years of experience, personal and business, I offer a formula that I believe can serve as a “roadmap” on your life’s journey.

Integrity – someone once said,”Integrity is doing the right thing when nobody will ever know”. I am forever indebted to my parents for instilling integrity in me, not by telling, but by living as an example. I believe that Integrity is the foundation of our core values.

In a world full of challenges it’s our integrity that helps us meet and overcome any obstacle to inner peace.

Mentoring – Webster’s Dictionary defines a Mentor as a “wise and trusted counselor”. We can all be a Mentor at any age because there is always someone who needs to know what we know. It is my opinion that we all have an obligation to share our knowledge, gained mostly through experiences, with others who have not yet “been there, done that”. Everyone is proficient at something and needs to share it with those who need to know in order to make their lives better. Often times you learn as much from your “mentee” as they learn from you.

Passion – the driving force for every positive outcome. Your passion can only be determined by YOU. When you feel beaten down and ready to give up, your passion inspires you to keep going. Don’t let negative people or circumstances deter your passion.

Passion kept Thomas Edison on track to invent the light bulb. When asked by a newspaper reporter, “how can you keep going when you have failed 5,000 times?” “That sir, is incorrect. I now know there are 5,000 ways it won’t work.”

There are many obstacles on an Entrepreneur’s journey to building a successful business. With a clear purpose and an uncompromising passion for that purpose driving you, failure is not an option.

A caution here about “blind passion” based on my own experience. You can have such a strong passion for an idea that you are “blinded” by the facts. A thorough “due diligence” of the viability of the idea is necessary if you are to make an informed decision to go forward or not. Ask yourself, is there a market for your idea; and do you have the resources for funding, experiences, expertise, contacts, etc. to create a successful venture?

So, the formula for a successful venture is: a clear purpose, an uncompromising passion for your purpose and a thorough “due diligence” process to examine the facts and make an informed decision.

Attitude – the deal maker or breaker in any situation. Whether you have a positive or negative attitude is totally your choice. People and circumstances can affect your choice but, ultimately YOU are the creator of your attitude. We all know that a positive attitude will result in the best outcome for any situation. So, why are so many people consumed by a negative attitude? Could it be Ego? Could it be their environment? Could it be their level of education? Could it be a victim mentality? Could it be “win at all cost” thinking?
I’m not a judge or jury, I just know that each of us have the option to choose our attitude. I choose positive. How about you?
Communication – the major factor determining the outcome of any situation. Simply put, the more effective communicator you are the more success you enjoy. The good news is that effective communication is a learned skill. The most effective communication is learning to be a good listener. A good listener is the person who focuses on the complete message. He or she doesn’t interrupt and processes the message before responding. For those of us who are highly “verbal” this requires discipline.

Poor communication skills are the root cause of most problems, dissolutions of relationships (personal and business), and misinterpretations resulting in negative outcomes.

Trust – the foundation of ANY relationship, personal or business. People the world over want to be friends with and do business with someone they can TRUST.

Trust has to be earned by demonstration…not by words alone. In business, trust, not price, is the deal maker. If you are viewed by your customers as a “commodity” that they can get from others their buying decisions are most likely to be based on price. You can’t build a small business by being the “lowest price guy”. Leave that to the WalMarts of the world.
Trust is the reason businesses like “Angie’s List” can thrive.

In conclusion, I believe implementing the characteristics and skills outlined in this writing will create a Life & Legacy in which you will find peace within and success.

There is a great book entitled, “The Dash” by Linda Ellis and Mac Anderson (www.walkthetalk.com) that puts your life and legacy in perspective. The dash is best described by Mac Anderson, “We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents, or the country of our birth. We do not, most of us, choose to die, nor do we choose the time and conditions of our death. But within this realm of choicelessness, we do choose HOW we live.” How will you live your dash?

Coach Bud (www.coachbudsmarketingu.vpweb.com) shares 30+ years of experience as an Entrepreneur and Coaching Entrepreneurs to help them achieve success.

[AlexSandra Lett]

Good article, Bud.

I bragged about you the other day when I offered a Business Networking Face-to-Face workshop at CCCC in Sanford. I told them about how I met you at Chamber and Business Leader functions and you introduced me around when I didn't know anyone. I will always appreciate that gesture.

Later I paid you back by connecting you with Nancy and even though you would not let me sing "Match Maker" at your wedding I love you. HA! Looking forward to seeing you and Nancy soon.

Not sure about the pig-pickin' because I am offering the keynote at a women's conference at 11 a.m. in Greensboro that day so it might be late before I can arrive in Moncure.

[Leslie Flowers]

Lived strong, loved deeply, made a difference for others. That's it for me.