When doing your legacy work, think about who you’re doing it for. Not just what, but who and why. Ask yourself:
- Who do I want to remember me?
- Who will be impacted by the work I’m doing?
- Why do they need what I’m giving?
Answering these questions helps you focus more on the specific needs of your audience (i.e., work that makes a difference), instead of throwing out “all-purpose” work (i.e., work that anyone can do).
But here’s something you may not have considered: when you choose an audience, you hand them a measuring stick and give them the power to judge your work.
If I gauge how well I’m doing on this blog by how many people subscribe, what happens if a hundred of you decide to leave and never come back? I’ve given you the power to judge my work.
That’s a little scary, isn’t it?
Think about your legacy work. Who’s holding the measuring stick? Your children? Your community? Your students? The Nobel Committee?
You might say, “But I work for myself. I pursue my own passion, and I’m the one who decides how well I’m doing.”
I’d say you’re (partially) right. On one hand, every legacy project has to start with you: your passion, your motivation, your work.
On the other hand, great work doesn’t happen in a vacuum. You can’t make an impact or leave a legacy unless your work affects other people. Those people – the ones you want to help, teach, entertain, surpass, or impress – make up your audience.
***
I’ll leave you with a beautiful story I read long ago:
A young virtuoso violinist was making her debut at Carnegie Hall. As she finished her final piece, the audience rose to its feet in thunderous applause.
But the young violinist seemed not to hear the applause, or the shouts of “Bravo!” Instead, her eyes were fixed anxiously on an old man sitting in the front row. After a moment, the man gave a single, solemn nod of approval.
And suddenly, the young violinist was all smiles. You see, the old man was her teacher, and his judgment mattered more to her than the applause of hundreds.
The right audience will hold you accountable to truly great work; the wrong audience will steadily drag you away from it.
Choose wisely.
11 Comments on “Your Audience, The Measuring Stick, and the Power to Judge”
says:
Great way to put legacy work in perspective Jeffrey! While I've thought about your questions on some level I think I need to focus on them a little more. I know why I'm doing what I'm doing, but I haven't really thought of the measuring stick. Thanks for making me think. :)
says:
It's simple, Karol – your audience is made up of ridiculously extraordinary
people :) On a more serious note: I think that questions about audience,
focus, and legacy are timeless; we all need to revisit them every so often,
because the answers keep changing. We learn more about ourselves and our
work each time.
says:
I love it when your posts speak to me Jeffrey. Then I benefit all the more. This thought came to me just today! I got an email from a reader, who thanked me for some advice. She said she had been able to attend a funeral, not worrying what she was wearing, and just focus on the event itself. And I thought to myself, if I can do that for these people, that’s a reason to write beyond my own happiness. But I hadn’t thought of it as a legacy. That’s taking this little thing and making it more. Thanks.
says:
I think it’s amazing how sometimes the things you do for your own sanity, or the idiosyncratic stories you share from your own experience connect you to someone else in small, but wonderful ways.
I was thinking earlier today about the idea of becoming someone’s pillar of support; your story reminds me of that thought. You are becoming a pillar of support, providing little comforts to people in ways they never knew they needed.
says:
Jeffrey,
This post is true insight of what we are trying to do and are we having results .
The results are provided by the audience. When the audience appreciates us it makes us feel good. But we do need critics also else we will not have any space for improvement. And none of us here are perfect and we all make mistakes.
Wonderful story to explain the concept of ‘legacy work’.
Cheers,
Cheryl Paris Blog
says:
The concept of legacy work is something that I’ve held on to for as long as I can remember, but it’s only through writing and sharing that I’ve come to understand it.
So thank you, Cheryl, for sharing.
says:
Hey Jeffrey: Great post and such an important point. We really do have to carefully select who we are giving the power to judge our work and what we do. If we really think about what we are trying to accomplish and then select the right judge, it will be much easier to course correct because we will be listening to the judge that really matters. There are always so many people that are willing to critique and analyze what we are doing, but we have to make certain we are listening to the right judge that can really help and guide us in our pursuit.
says:
Listening to the right judge is so important. I think one of the biggest factors holding people (me included) back is the tendency to feel pressure from the wrong sources. We do things to impress the boss, to placate the children, to please our parents, without ever asking ourselves “Why? Why is this important to me?”
Not to say that your boss, your children, or your parents can’t be your chosen audience – they absolutely can be – but you have to pair the right audience with the right work!
says:
This is really hard for me to pin down since I feel like I, myself, am an audience to so many types of writers and blogs.
Very thought provoking … I’m writing myself a note to give this further thought.
says:
Thought-provoking is good! Glad you enjoyed the post, Melissa. I agree that the “right audience” is hard to pin down. One of the main reasons I wrote this post was to share the ways I’m struggling with the issue and why I think it’s so important.
says:
Really enjoyed it, especially the end.