Are you building a life—or just a LinkedIn profile?

I had a high-paying tech job, working in those sleek high-rise buildings with elaborate food options and corporate perks.
I was living in a metro city, spending weekends at cafés and vacations in dreamy places.
I even had a thriving side business.

Everything that once felt like a distant dream for an average girl like me—
I was living it.
I never imagined I could reach that life.

But when the laptops were logged off and the lights dimmed, Something inside me also faded.

I felt lonely.
I felt shallow.
I missed living in a small house with my family.
I missed evening chai with my mother and our endless chats.
I missed connection.
I missed depth.
I missed meaning.

I often questioned:
Where am I headed with this life?
What am I actually becoming?

And after five years in the corporate world, I finally quit.

I’ve often said—
I want people to remember who I am,
How I make them feel,
What I’m passionate about—
not just the job I had.

And I’m not alone.
We’re in the midst of a quiet cultural reckoning.
People are craving something more—
Depth. Connection. Meaning.

What was once a race to accumulate success
is now a deeper question:
What kind of impact will I leave behind?

"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”— Maya Angelou

This isn’t a feel-good detour from ambition. This is the next evolution of it.

The Shift from Achievement to Meaning

I used to measure my success by salary, job title, and social media followers.
And I think most people of my generation get a sense of pride from these numbers.
They offer a quick sense of validation—proof that we’ve made it in some way.

But over time, I realised:
These numbers give us a false sense of permanence.
Their value fades.

What lingers is not a promotion or a like count,
But the emotion we leave behind.
The conversations that made someone feel seen.
The moments when we showed up with sincerity.
The quiet impact we didn’t post about.

More and more of us are realising that money alone isn’t enough.
We want to feel aligned.
We want to wake up with a sense of purpose, not just for a paycheck.

And if something doesn’t sit right with our values,
We’re willing to walk away—even if it means earning less.

This isn’t just personal. It’s cultural.

"We are beginning to understand that legacy isn’t built in boardrooms—it’s built in the everyday moments of connection."

The Myth of the Monument

When we talk about legacy, we often picture statues, scholarships, and buildings named after someone. How many times have we passed by these so-called legacy symbols and remembered the person it was named after? The truth is, we won’t be remembered by those things. 

We will be remembered in the soft recollections people carry with them:

• The colleague who felt seen because you remembered her son’s name during a hard week.

• The stranger who smiled because you held the door and meant it.

• The friend who felt safe crying in your presence.

These aren’t footnotes. They are the legacy. And yet, we are conditioned to overlook them because they aren’t Instagrammable. They don’t trend. They don’t scale. But they echo. They ripple through lives in ways no resume ever could.

The Currency of Emotion

Our brains are wired to remember feelings over facts.
Emotionally charged moments stay with us long after the timelines, titles, or milestones fade.

So when we talk about leaving a mark, it’s not the event that matters most—It’s the emotion attached to it. Legacy, then, becomes less about what we build and more about how we build it.

• Do we build our careers with generosity?

• Do we create businesses that uplift, rather than extract?

• Do we parent, partner, and lead in ways that make people feel safer, more themselves?

That’s the real work. And it’s hard, not because it requires capital, but because it requires capacity.

The Emotional Labour of Legacy

Let’s be honest: being a person of depth in a shallow world is exhausting. It takes energy to listen fully, to show up consistently, to lead with empathy in places that reward ego.

But that’s exactly why it’s legacy-making.

Because most people won’t, not because they can’t, but because it’s easier not to.
Empathy costs time. Joy demands presence. Human connection requires vulnerability. These are soft skills—until they become survival skills.

Empathy isn’t just a nice-to-have—it transforms how we lead, connect, and build. When people feel seen and safe, they show up differently. They engage more deeply, create more generously, and stay more committed. The emotional economy is real—and it’s not only sustainable, it’s deeply human.

The Joy in the Work

Here’s where this turns from obligation to opportunity: joy is not a byproduct of legacy work—it’s the fuel.

"Joy reminds us why we care. It breaks through burnout. It reconnects us to what matters."

I once had a reader email me to say that a blog post I wrote made her cry—“the good kind of cry,” she wrote. She was on the verge of quitting a job she hated, but stayed for too long because she thought it was her legacy. She said reading my words reminded her of herself. Not her title, not her achievements—but her essence. She quit two weeks later, started painting again, and is now building a nonprofit that teaches art to women in shelters.

That’s not me changing her life. That’s her feeling something and choosing a different path. That’s the ripple. That’s the legacy.

Data as a Mirror, Not a Master

In our quest to “leave a mark,” we often lean too heavily on metrics. But not everything that counts can be counted. That doesn’t mean we abandon data. It means we use it differently.

Use data to ask:

• What patterns are showing up in my relationships?

• Who keeps coming back to my work—and why?

• Where do people feel most moved, most held, most alive?

Then double down on that. Let data serve the soul, not silence it.

Building Legacy in a Digital World

The digital era complicates legacy. Posts disappear. Platforms change. But the impact remains. Here’s the paradox: the more digital the world becomes, the more human we must be.

"Authenticity is the new authority." 

People don’t want perfect—they want real. They want to feel your passion, your care, your presence. That’s what cuts through the noise. And if you’re building a brand, a business, a body of work—don’t just show what you do. Show what you believe. Tell people what breaks your heart. Tell them what brings you joy. Show them what you love and how deeply you care.

That’s how you make people feel something. That’s how you become unforgettable.

What Will They Remember?

When all is said and done, we won’t be remembered by how well we optimised our productivity.

We’ll be remembered by:

• How we looked people in the eye

• How we made them feel seen and safe

• How we infused care into emails, meetings, and quiet moments

• How we stood up when it mattered

• How we laughed, cried, celebrated, grieved—with them, not above them

Legacy isn’t a eulogy. It’s an everyday practice.

Your Legacy Starts Here

If you’re reading this and feeling something stir, that’s your soul reminding you: this matters.

You don’t need more credentials. You don’t need a ten-year plan. You just need to start living like your legacy matters today—because it does.

Smile more slowly.
Speak with warmth.
Show up fully.
Let your love be visible.

Because you are not just building a business.
You are not just living a life.
You are shaping a legacy—one full of joy, empathy, and deep human connection.

And trust me: that’s what they’ll remember.