If you cannot see your legacy, then why do anything. What difference does it make if others don't remember if you cannot witness it anyway. I understand the part about family and relationships, but success sure feels good too even if no one cares after you are dead.
The legacy that matters is not the plastic cube engraved to commemorate you winning the 2021 Q3 Mid-Atlantic Region Corporate Synergy award.
I'm staring at one of these on my desk as I type this, and it took me a solid minute to even remember what I won it for. Everybody involved, including the VP who handed to it me and the product it was for, is long gone.
> success sure feels good too even if no one cares after you are dead.
Success is nice, but too often it comes at great cost. How many successful people's lives are essentially barren wastelands, because they had to move too many times, had to work ultra hard for years on stuff they don't particularly enjoy, had neglected friends and family and/or health. Not to mention that many of them, after attaining success, have learned that it doesn't matter all that much to them, and they'd rather have a full and balanced life instead (or, even worse, they feel bad but can't even articulate why - they haven't reach the necessary level of self-awareness) - only now it's too late for that.
> If you cannot see your legacy, then why do anything. What difference does it make if others don't remember if you cannot witness it anyway.
Many people want to feel that their life was important & meaningful, and having a legacy fulfills that desire. Even though they don't get to experience their legacy first-hand, simply knowing they will have a legacy increases their self-esteem and well-being while they're living. It's this same desire to be important & meaningful that likely contributes to 'success' feeling good to you.
