You Can’t Just Wish to Get From Where You Are to Leaving a Lasting Legacy... Here are 8 things you Need on Your Own Roadmap.
My friend used to play this game on dates in college. He would drive up to an intersection and flip a coin.
If it was heads, he would turn right. If it was tails, he would turn left.
This may be a fun date idea.
It's a horrible idea for life.
If you don't have a clear roadmap to leave a legacy, you might as well just flip a coin and hope you get there eventually.
We all would say we want to influence others and have an impact in a tangible way. Yet, from my experience, most people don't have this journey charted out. They leave the trajectory up to chance and hope they wander there one day. You need a map to get from where you are to where you want to be.
But, that map can't just be a general map. It has to include some specific things.
Here are 8 things you need to include on your roadmap to arrive at your destination and thrive.
A clear destination.
This "north star" has to be on the map. This is the purpose in life. Why do you exist?
In addition, this has to transcend self. It can't be focused solely on your own benefit.
2. A Starting Point
You need to have a current reality of where you are. Who are you? What are your gifts/talents? How has God wired you? You have to know where you are before you can get where you want to go.
3. A compass (to orient you to reality)
When we start to wander, we can become disoriented with reality. We need an objective standard to point to so we can reorient to reality. For the Christian, God's Word serves as this.
4. Wisdom from Previous Travelers
It helps to have notes from other travelers on the journey. People who are just ahead of you that can help you navigate the next few turns. This exists in the form of mentoring and discipleship. We can avoid many painful errors by listening to the wisdom of previous travelers.
5. Checkpoints: To Create Clarity and Give Confidence.
We need to know that we are on track. Checkpoints in life can help us. In Cru, we use some broad checkpoints to help navigate the journey.
Lead Yourself Spiritually
Lead Others Spiritually
Lead Leaders
Lead Teams
6. A Key to Keep Your Priorities In Front of You
The key helps you see what is most important on the map. Just like in life, our priorities define what is most important. We need to keep a reference point along the journey to make sure we
Walk with God
Prioritize Family
Prioritize Relationships
Mentor and Disciple Others
Invest in the Great Commission
Stay Healthy
7. Places to Refuel
If you ever remember Atlases that helped you navigate across the US, some had indexes in the back of them showing you gas stations, Wal-Mart, hotels etc. We need similar markers to show us where we can rest, recharge so we can finish the race.
8. Warning Signs
You also need markers to show you the dangers in life. Detours, potholes, old roads ending, rocks falling.
In life, some dangers come out of nowhere. However, some are predictable and come with warning signs. Our roadmap will help you point those out.
When you set out on a journey and your map has...
A clear destination.
A real starting point.
A compass
Wisdom from previous travelers
Checkpoints
A Key
Markers to Refuel &
Warning Signs
…you can move forward effectively to reach your goal of leaving a legacy in people’s lives.
Without these things, you run the risk of wandering around, squandering the talents you have been entrusted with, and arriving nowhere on the path to a legacy.
Over the next few weeks, I'm going to share a project I've been working on about a roadmap to go from where you are to where you want to be, making a difference in people’s lives.
Next time, I am going to share a brief outline of the road map and fill in the checkpoints. This will get you started on the journey to impacting others and making a difference.
Looking forward to having you follow along.
To read more, go back and check out this first post about the journey on Twitter...here.
