If you make yourself more than just a person, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can’t stop you, then you become something else entirely… You become legend.
This is what all the Just Do It, Be The Change, Ball Is Life sayings are talking about… People get caught up in a life of mediocrity & delusion that they’re superstars, when they’re really just doing the same thing that millions of other people are doing.
I think that’s why when people actually show the results of their efforts, they are looked up to and idolized. Because they actually did something. Because they actually stuck to something & stood for something.
Everyone is living a life. Very few people live a life that affects others. It’s when that effect has a significant reach & positive impact that people are remembered.
We like to think of the word “legendary” as being positive; it’s actual meaning is neutral, though:
Remarkable enough to be very well-known.
That can be “good” or “bad” – the Branch Davidian compound is a legendary story with a pretty misguided beginning & tragic end.
But being legendary in a good way… whew! Those are the times the world is changed, remarkable things happen, and legends are made.
In a world full of distractions, sticking to an ideal is unique. Sticking to an ideal requires following a good path. Following a good path requires making good decisions. We each make decisions for our unique lives in individual ways, and telling our respective stories allows others to connect with and learn from and gain from our perspective. That’s where legendary status is found.