A recent study showed that 77%
of Baby Boomers say it is important to receive values and life lessons from
their parents, as an individual. Then, as a group, Baby Boomers preferred to
preserve their parent’s and further generations memories rather than a
financial inheritance.
Building a legacy is becoming
popular as people are showing more interest in this transfer and passing-down
of non-financial assets from generation to generation. Preserving all of life’s
stories, values and memories are extremely important due to unexpected events
that bring to light the reality of life’s fragility.
While a financial inheritance
is great, the tangible memories and the intangible lessons and values one
learns from their ancestors is of utmost importance and significance. A new and
growing trend, called Ethical Wills, are when the older generation writes down
their hopes, wishes and dreams for the following generations in regards to
values, finances, life goals, etc. Here are a few helpful ways to preserve your
parent’s legacy in our technologically-driven day and age:
Spend quality time asking your
loved ones what really matters in life. What do they value and what ethics have
guided them thus far? What do they believe in and what is life, love, etc. to
them?
Purchase a flash drive for
pictures, videos, slides, etc. to preserve all of these onto one home drive or
find a website that allows you to upload all types of digital and hard-copy
uploads of memories for long-term archive storage. These videos and photos will
become treasured possessions for generations to come!
Asking the right questions:
move beyond the “yes” and “no” and dive deeper. Ask about how they felt during
a specific event or season of life. Ask them about their childhood and favorite
memories, the hardest thing they’ve ever gone through, what they learned from a
friend, or what their dreams were at a certain age.
Identify your loved ones’
strengths and capitalize on those. Create a family tree of strengths and
lessons they learned from their ancestors and keep this going! Such a neat idea
of the patterns in generations.
Tell the true story: if you are
creating a memory book or writing everything down, keep it true to the
narrator’s experience. Use a tape recorder if necessary or make a home video of
some of the story times.
By taking these steps to
preserve your parents’ and ancestors’ legacies and values, you will benefit and
help future generations to come. It serves as a great way for you to carry on
your family legacy to your children and be a role model for your children and
grandchildren by demonstrating a way to live and carry the legacy of your
family and ancestors from generation to generation.
