I woke up this morning and the first thing I saw when I got online was a tragic wake up call about the death of a young, vibrant leader in the online community, Denai Vaughn.
I didn’t know Denai personally but because we are connected through Facebook and Twitter (her moniker is the Networking Queen) and we have many online friends in common, her passing was one of the first things I read about this morning.
Thanks to the interwebs and the online legacy Denai has left behind, I knew within minutes that at 37 years old this beautiful young mother left behind a husband, daughter, mom, dad and hundreds (thousands) of friends who are already sorely missing her.
Denai also left behind a legacy of Great Work. Eerily, her very last piece of that work was a radio show she hosted on Grief: Loss of a Spouse, Parent, Child. No doubt this episode will provide much comfort and support to her family and I imagine it will become something her daughter listens to again and again throughout her life or when she is ready to receive direct guidance from her mom.
I am bringing this to your attention for a couple of reason:
- If you have Great Work to offer the world that you are keeping inside because it feels too scary to let it out, let Denai’s legacy be an inspiration to you for bringing yours out online. It’ll be something your family will treasure long after you are gone.I love knowing there is a rich history that will be available to my children after I am no longer here because of the years I have spent documenting my journey and doing my Great Work online. Don’t wait another moment to begin creating your online legacy.
As you do it, make sure to leave access to your passwords and accounts to a trusted team of people so that legacy can continue long after you are gone. You may want to consider this cool service I just discovered and signed up for myself, Legacy Locker.
- Whether you create an online legacy or not, create a private legacy for your children and family as well. Your private legacy includes your estate planning documents to ensure your children will be raised the way you want, by the people you want, no matter what and that your financial assets will be passed on privately, protected and without your family having to go to Court.(If you are unsure what you need when it comes to legal planning for your family, you can talk with a Personal Family Lawyer® , read my book Wear Clean Underwear for an easy to access understanding of exactly what your family needs from a legal perspective or begin by naming legal guardians for your kids here on our free website.)
And while it’s often overlooked by traditional estate planning lawyers, leaving a private legacy includes so much more than passing on your money or naming guardians for your kids, it also includes consciously leaving behind your intangible assets, those that are most often lost when a parent passes on — your values, insights, stories and experience.
When I was in practice as a lawyer, the Family Wealth Legacy Interview process we created for passing on these personal assets was the most meaningful part of my work. So whether you are leaving behind an online legacy or not, be sure to create this private legacy for your loved ones that will mean so much to them.
- Finally, whatever is happening in your life right now, remember that it is all temporary. Forgive faster, love more, and above all, relax.Soon we will each return from whence we came.
Sending us all tremendous love for the journey.
