8 Ways to Build a Lasting Family Legacy
At a certain age, the desire to build a family legacy and make a difference in other people’s lives kicks in. It’s one meaningful way to give back to the people you care about, including future generations you’ll never meet. Through this act of kindness, you can create a lasting impact on the world while giving you a sense of purpose and accomplishment.
To leave a family legacy is a common desire, but where do you start? A legacy isn’t created in a day, and there are many ways to create one.
In this article, we explore 8 types of family legacy and hone in on one type everyone can create, regardless of wealth.
Jump to section:
- What Is a Lasting Family Legacy?
- Build a Family Legacy You Can Take Pride In
- 8 Family Legacies That Make a Positive Difference
- Your Free Family Legacy Using Stories
- How You Can Build a Free Family Legacy with Simirity
- Summary Of Building a Lasting Family Legacy
What Is a Lasting Family Legacy?
A legacy is what lives on after you’re gone – a footprint on the world that says, “I was here”.
It is your gift to those you leave behind.
Legacies are fuelled in part by our human desire to live on in some way, past death. We want to be remembered and show that our limited time here has left a positive impact on family and friends.
As a society, we hope future generations will live better lives. Our legacies could help make this a reality.
Not all legacies stand the test of time. Many endure briefly before their impact fades completely. Think about it—how many of your ancestors left you a legacy that still influences your life today? Such lasting impact is rare, but achievable if you focus on creating something that endures or, better yet, grows in value over generations.
Build a Family Legacy You Can Take Pride In
Not all family legacies are a force for good—some hinder those who inherit them. The children of high achievers may inherit high expectations that risk them spending their lives in the shadow of their parents.
So what makes a ‘good’ family legacy?
It can be anything that provides a positive impact on the recipients. Empowering, encouraging or helping those you leave behind. And the best family legacy would do this indefinitely, helping generation after generation.
Think about the family legacy you inherited from your ancestors. What did you appreciate? What was missing? Can you take those lessons to create a legacy that you can be proud to leave behind?
Your memories, their legacy—Simirity keeps family history alive
8 Family Legacies That Make a Positive Difference
Family legacies can take many forms. Famous people like the Beatles have music as their legacy and Nelson Mandela changed the world through his beliefs and actions.
Family legacies should be for everyone, not just the select few we hear about in the news.
Let’s explore some common ways to build a lasting family legacy.
1. Financial Legacy
For some people, financial wealth or property is their legacy. While easily conceived as a great gift, a huge financial legacy can hinder rather than help in the long term. Those inheriting large amounts of money risk never gaining the satisfaction of making their own way in the world. Milking the golden cow ends up robbing them of the opportunity to craft their own life.
And ultimately, most financial legacies will not last indefinitely. They will be spent, and subsequent generations will miss out.
2. Real Estate or Asset Based Legacy
Another common legacy is the passing on of property, most commonly a family home or family heirlooms.
Many homes pass between generations in this way for long periods, but it only takes one generation to want to live elsewhere, and the home is no longer passed on.
Well-preserved family heirlooms can pass between generations, but their sentimental value often fades as the stories that make them special are forgotten over time.
3. Knowledge Legacy
Those with sufficient funds might set up a scholarship fund to help people without the financial means obtain a quality education. However, unless you can set up a scholarship in perpetuity, you will only be able to fund so many scholars.
4. Cultural Legacy
Some people leave a lasting legacy in the form of artwork, music, sculptures, etc. The works of people like Monet will live on forever and impact the world in a cultural sense.
5. Environmental Legacy
How we lead our lives impacts the planet we live on.
The consumption of resources, the creation of pollutants and so on. But we can also have a positive impact by actively protecting the planet by influencing other’s behaviour and trying to change policies.
6. Community Legacy
Perhaps you can create change within your local community? Establishing or contributing towards local services and facilities. Cultivating new ways of solving local problems. Building impactful and meaningful relationships with people within the community.
7. Innovation Legacy
Inventions and discoveries add value to the world, solving problems or adding value to our lives. Inventors of vaccines and scientists enhancing our understanding of the world make a lasting legacy that helps all of humankind.
8. Family Legacy
As a parent, in many ways, your greatest legacy is your children.
Your greatest contribution may not be something you do but someone you raise.
Unknown
Family legacies are available to all! You don’t need wealth, exceptional creativity, or intelligence to leave something meaningful behind—the foundation is already built into your family structure. While having children within your family community is often the first step, it’s what you pass on that truly matters: values, mindset, knowledge, principles, and family culture. And remember, you can play a significant role in shaping this legacy even as an aunt, uncle, or close family friend.
Simirity is a family business, and this is the type of legacy we are most passionate about. In the next section, we explore the fundamental role of stories as the primary way of creating a meaningful and lasting legacy.
Your Free Family Legacy Using Stories
By sharing stories with others, you can offer something far more precious and enduring than anything money can buy.
Even simple things, like a grandparent’s childhood stories or the know-how for a favourite family recipe, send ripples that can touch the lives of many generations.
As we will see, stories have the power to make the world a better place.
Stories at the Centre of Humanity
Humanity is not constructed with flesh and bones, but with stories. Stories that bind us together as families, tribes and communities. Uniting us in traditions, spurring us into action and guiding our decisions.
Stories can capture our attention for hours. Why do our brains love stories so much?
- We are social creatures and stories are an effective way to share information and values. Especially when they are personal or emotionally charged.
- Stories offer a way for people to connect personally. Through stories, we learn about other people, strengthening our bond with them and building trust, compassion, and empathy.
Throughout history, people and organisations have used the power of stories to pass on their message. Businesses can use stories to align their teams with their vision and principles. Religions have used stories to convey their beliefs for thousands of years. Human history itself is recorded in stories. For example, the 2,000-year-old ‘Smriti’ recorded all aspects of life and inspired us to name our service ‘Simirity’.
As families, our interests lie in ‘life stories’, which offer insights into our experiences, thoughts, principles, and life lessons. By sharing them, we create a positive and enduring legacy that strengthens our family and connects us with today’s and tomorrow’s family members.
Imagine growing up surrounded by stories from your entire family, including ancestors you never met. Wouldn’t this broaden your view of the world while strengthening your family bonds? Is that a gift you are ready to give your future family?
Everyone, not just the wealthy, can share stories that touch the lives of future family.
You don’t need to invent or discover anything, build a company or write a best-seller. Anyone, regardless of wealth, can create the most inspirational family legacy.
Simirity—Because one day, these moments will mean EVERYTHING
How You Can Build a Free Family Legacy With Simirity
There’s nothing extraordinary about my family. No revolutionary breakthroughs or assets of note to pass on as our legacy. But within our circle, our lives matter.
We believe in the power of family legacy, and we’re committed to preserving our stories so our children and future generations can connect with us and learn from our experiences.
The challenge was that beyond simply discussing our family stories, we couldn’t find a clear method to preserve them long-term. There was no private home for family stories.
We wanted something more exciting and interactive than a shared document. Social media isn’t an archive of information that is safely preserved for future family. A paper scrapbook wouldn’t be accessible by all, and would miss out on audio and video. So, in the end, we built the Simirity App.
Simirity is your family’s digital scrapbook of memories.
Beyond photos, videos and voice notes, Simirity app uses real-life stories from your family’s past and present to enrich family relationships while storing cherished memories for tomorrow.
Your stories blossom into rewarding conversations that take your family beyond everyday small talk—creating moments of genuine connection that you’ll treasure forever.
Unlike printed stories or digital files that get consumed and then forgotten, stories on Simirity are woven into your daily life with Story Anniversary notifications.
Imagine receiving a timely reminder about your children’s activities from several years ago, your own experiences from 20 years ago, your parents’ lives from 30 years ago, or even your ancestors’ stories from before you were born.
Simirity is a living legacy that is used regularly, helps others and increases in value over time.
Summary Of Building a Lasting Family Legacy
Contrary to many people’s initial reaction, a family legacy is not about death; the focus is on life and living well.
We explored eight ways to leave a family legacy. You don’t need to be famous, rich or super intelligent to leave a legacy. What we communicate to family, friends, colleagues and society at large, is a legacy that can have far-reaching effects.
Here are some family legacy quotes that remind us of the importance of what we leave behind. If you are looking for some ideas of what stories to include in your family’s story legacy, check out these story ideas or this list of meaningful questions to ask your mom and dad.
What lasting family legacy will you leave behind for the next generation?
