What will you leave behind?

The lyrics of a recent top 20 song by The Cat Empire is called 'No Longer There', caught my attention:

"what will you leave behind when you're no longer there?"

Interesting question isn't it. Makes me think as to why we work, our motivations to spend 40 odd hours a week doing a particular set of activities. If you 'were no longer there' can be analysed at several different levels, depending on where 'there' is:

Your Position

So, if you left your current position, what would you leave behind? Will it be in a better state than when you arrived. Would it work smoother, faster, more efficiently? Will the next person be able to pick things up quickly and easily understand what you've done so that they can build on that for the future.

Your Company

If you left your company, what would you leave behind? Would it be a state of destruction or strong relationships. Would you be remembered favourably? or forgotten quickly?

Your Working Life

At some point we will stop working, whether through our choice or not. What will be your legacy? What will you be remembered for? Over time your career will have common themes that point toward your contribution to society, community and other people. But why wait until the end to figure out what this is? If you can identify these threads that hold the tapestry of your career together then you can weave a brighter, larger tapestry and direct the design to be what you want, not simply the product of unconscious action.