The Way That Others Remember What You Do Or Say, Personally And Professionally, Is Your Legacy
Pegasus skilled in-home specialists in Los Feliz and elsewhere are dedicated to giving their patients exceptional care. They offer their best, personally and professionally, each day. Career home health care nurses know this is part of the legacy they want to leave.
Legacy means something carried forward. It’s what you received from those who have gone before you. It’s also what you leave to those who will follow you.
Your Legacy Includes Intangible Components
Individuals tend to regard legacy as a financial inheritance. But it is more than that. Your legacy includes the accumulated experience, values, and wisdom you receive, nurture, and pass on.
Everything you do or say impacts others, positively or negatively, just as others affect you. Although you may not consciously think about your legacy, you likely want to feel like your life matters. And that it will matter after you’re gone.
You interact with people daily, often informally, so you can never know who you influence or how. But if you know what matters to you, you will start living with intention. You become aware of your actions and how they reflect what’s important.
Your Legacy Is How Others Remember You
Try to set aside some time to discover what makes your life meaningful. If you were writing your life story, you would answer who, what, why, when, and how questions. Considering those questions now can help you make any improvements in the legacy you have created thus far:
- Who will remember you? Family, friends, coworkers, patients, strangers?
- What will they remember you for? Did you touch their lives? Did what you said or did make things better for them?
- Why will they remember you? Did you go above and beyond to help them? Was what you said or did based on a characteristic by which you want to be known?
- When will they remember you? Are you present in their life now? Did you have an impact on them in the past that influences their life now? Or will it be the distant future when they recall your actions?
- How will they remember you? Will they know what you stood for based on your actions?
All the ways others will remember you is your legacy. Are you proud of how they’ll describe you? Are their descriptions an accurate reflection of who you are?
It’s Never Too Late To Enhance Your Legacy
Because you’re a nurse, chances are good that you’ve been around for a while. There are probably things in your life that you’d rather not be remembered for. That doesn’t mean it’s too late to start building your legacy.
You can start by describing how you would like to be remembered. What do you want others to say about you? Start now to live in a way that will enable them to speak of you in that way.
Your children are the beneficiaries of your legacy. You might have an example from your parents for passing on values. Otherwise, you can create your model of how to do this.
Either way, you provide the next generation with an example. If you don’t have children, consider volunteering for youth activities. You can also simply interact in a positive way with any younger individuals you meet.
Being of service to others is probably second nature to you as a nurse. Helping others in need, professionally or personally, is an expression of generosity. Nursing is a significant part of your legacy as a generous and caring person.
Another part of your legacy as a career nurse is the difference you make in the lives of your patients. As an in-home caregiver, your service also significantly impacts the patient’s family. Your ability to teach them how to care for their loved one improves everyone’s well-being.
An important factor in your professional legacy is sharing your knowledge or experience with others. Answering a question for a student or colleague can make a difference in their career. It also makes a difference in their patient’s life, as well as rippling outward to touch other lives.
Interaction With Your Pegasus Team Is Part Of Your Legacy
You increase your positive legacy as a nurse when you help others grow. At Pegasus, you are part of a team. You contribute to the team members and your professional legacy when you:
- Accept responsibility for all outcomes
- Allow others the opportunity to learn and grow
- Exhibit and encourage mutual trust
- Express sincere concern and support for others
- Promote teamwork
- Use constructive feedback to increase self-confidence
Your personal legacy is based on your relationship with family and friends. The ways in which you enable colleagues to care for others contribute to your professional legacy. Everything you do or say becomes the legacy you leave as an individual and as a nurse.
Pegasus is a licensed Home Care Organization and a Joint Commission Accredited Home Health Care organization. Our skilled in-home caregivers in Los Feliz and our other locations work one-on-one with their clients. Our career home health care nurses know that improving the quality of life for others is their legacy.
