I haven’t blogged for a while, mostly due to the sudden and tragic death of a close friend and colleague, Darren Linton, in July. Darren was one of the first educators I worked with when I started out on my own back in 1999 and we worked together developing his courses and workshops for nearly 20 years.
One of the issues we discussed 5 or 6 years ago was ‘What happens in the unlikely event that one of us becomes incapacitated or dies?’ At the time it seemed a distant worry. But we did agree that it would be worth continuing the work and promoting his teaching. As it has turned out that is exactly what I have been doing for the last couple of months – redesigning his website and courses so that they can continue without his direct input. So it has been a big wake up call for me, raising numerous serious questions along the lines of ‘What happens if…’?
And maybe it’s something YOU should consider too.
For example, do you have a trusted partner or friend who has all your logins and passwords? It’s not easy getting access to Facebook and software accounts when someone passes away. Will anyone be willing and/or able to continue your work (or at least fulfil any outstanding orders and close down your business)? I’ve been able to sort all these things out for Darren’s business, and the love and support of his clients and followers has been heartwarming, but I dread to think what a stressful situation it might have been for his widow if I hadn’t been part of Darren’s business.
And have you considered what kind of legacy you’d like to leave behind after your own passing? Do you want your books, CDs, courses and programmes to be available for future generations? Planning for such things may seem like an inconvenient task and in some ways not a pleasant one, but it’s worthy of consideration. It will help your loved ones greatly to have a statement of your wishes and hopes for the future and details about how to access and continue your work (if they wish to do so). Or if you work with a regular mentor (and everyone should!) make sure you’ve discussed the issue and provided enough information so that he or she can pass it on to a future generation.
I will miss my friend and colleague, but as I’ve been reviewing his videos, workshops and courses it has been a poignant reminder of just how much he touched people’s lives. And I feel him standing alongside me as I continue to spread his message.