In this post I'm going to show you how you can participate in the preservation of some of these endangered species.  I'm not talking about a small donation to a zoo or some abstract organization.  I'm talking about boots-on-the-ground, active and direct participation.

"Each year hundreds of words are dropped from the English language.  Old words, wise words, hard working words.  Words that once lead meaningful lives but now lie unused, unloved and unwanted."

Such begins the plea by Oxford Dictionaries to convince ordinary people like you and me to "Save The Words" by pledging to adopt and use one or more of these forgotten words in our conversation and writing.

A visit to the Save The Words webpage immediately puts us face to face with a crowded screen full of endangered words calling and clamoring for our attention.  It's like going to the SPCA and seeing all the cute kittens and puppies.  How can you possibly leave without adopting the adorable "Tortiloquy" or the sad-eyed "Patracian"?

I'm proud to say that my daughters have adopted the cuddly word, "Frutescent."  Now it's almost impossible to look at something or someone without evaluating its shrub-like qualities.

Visit www.savethewords.org . You never know -- the words you save could fill that vast "vacivity" in your heart.

And ... Oh, by the way, after visiting, please come back and leave a comment letting us know which word you saved.

Now, a whole year has gone by, all 525,600 minutes of it, and we are already 46,080 minutes into this year.  For many, it has been difficult to decide what to write about.  Why not start by writing about the past 525,600 minutes?

Consider the Broadway musical, Rent, a story about one year in the lives of 8 people in New York.  Individually and together, they go through a year of challenge, sadness, tragedy, hope and love.  The story touches on how each of their circumstances is intertwined with those of the others and is encapsulated in the lyrics of one of its songs, Seasons of Love.  Read the lyrics below and then listen to the Stevie Wonder version of the song.  I'm betting that it will inspire you to begin writing.

SEASONS OF LOVE (lyrics by Jonathan D. Larson)

• Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes,
• Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear,
•  
• Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes,
• How do you measure, measure a year?
•  
• In daylight, in sunsets, in midnight, in cups of coffee,
• In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife,
• How do you measure a year in the life?
•  
• How about love? …
• Measure in love
•  
• Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes,
• Five hundred twenty-five thousand journeys to plan,
•  
• Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes,
• How do you measure the life of a woman or man?
•  
• In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried,
• In bridges he burned, or the way that she died.
•  
• It’s time now to sing out, though the story never ends,
• Let’s celebrate. Remember the year in the life of friends.
•  
• Remember the love.

The manifestation of your legacy is not really about you or how people remember you.  It is about the impact you have made on others.  The definition of manifest is “to make clear or evident, to reveal.”  The only way to make your legacy evident is through action, the objective of which is the welfare of others.

You are not your legacy.  You are the one who manifests your legacy.  What is ultimately important is not the image of yourself that you leave behind, but the purposeful action that results in a positive impact on other people’s lives.

In the Bible, Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits.”  He repeatedly used the analogy of “fruits” to represent a person’s works or service to others.  The Dalai Lama has stated the same principle when he said, “The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our sense of well-being becomes.”

The legacy that is manifested is strictly a by-product, maybe even a reward for our part in making the world a better place.  The quest to leave a legacy is ultimately inspired by love.  Our love for our family, for our community and for our fellow human beings.

Unfortunately, to many people, legacy is about fame.  We see people who aspire to be famous by being famous.  Their legacy is printed on the covers of tabloids or in video archives.  The true legacies are earned by those who made the world a better place, those who made a difference in people’s lives, those who made their communities better. 

True legacies are recorded in the hearts of others, not on the printed page.

Barnum also wrote a book, The Art of Money-Getting, that is a series of essays that illustrate his ideas and beliefs on business and life in general.

One of the essays gives his thoughts on the quality of being charitable.

BE CHARITABLE

"Of course men should be charitable, because it is a duty and a pleasure. But even as a matter of policy, if you possess no higher incentive, you will find that the liberal man will command patronage, while the sordid, uncharitable miser will be avoided.

"Solomon says: "There is that scattereth and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than meet, but it tendeth to poverty." Of course the only true charity is that which is from the heart.

"The best kind of charity is to help those who are willing to help themselves. Promiscuous almsgiving, without inquiring into the worthiness of the applicant, is bad in every sense. But to search out and quietly assist those who are struggling for themselves, is the kind that "scattereth and yet increaseth." But don't fall into the idea that some persons practice, of giving a prayer instead of a potato, and a benediction instead of bread, to the hungry. It is easier to make Christians with full stomachs than empty."

According to the study, parental involvement in nonprofits increases the odds of a child becoming a donor by more than 80 percent.  If the parents were not involved, there is only a 25 percent chance the child will grow up to be a donor.

It would stand to reason that a family engaging in a charitable giving program would greatly increase the likelihood that future generations would continue to give.   The philanthropic values of the family become a tradition that makes the giving process an integral part of the family dynamic.

For a family to develop a giving program, the first step would be to develop a family giving strategy.  This giving strategy is a set of goals and objectives specifying the purposes, amounts, timing and manner in which the family will make its charitable contributions.  You can start this process with your family by writing a family mission statement.

Each member of the family should write down his or her ideas and priorities regarding giving.  What organizations does he or she want to support?  Why?  How will the gifts be made?  How does this support the family legacy?  Then they should hold a family meeting to discuss these ideas and hammer out the family mission statement.

This meeting should not be taken lightly.  Each family member should set aside the time, free from interruption, to participate.  The meeting should have an agenda, and the goal of creating a family mission statement should be understood by all family members.

At the meeting, each person's list of ideas and priorities should be read and discussed.  Those common to  more than one family member should be noted.  Competing ideas and goals should be discussed and prioritized.  At the conclusion of the meeting, your family should have selected the top goals and incorporated them into a mission statement.

A more complete description of this process as well as writing prompts and directions are included in my book, Manifest Your Legacy.  Click on the book icon on the right to visit the Amazon.com page.

The report did note however, that despite the sharp decrease in financial transactions resulting from the poor economic conditions, Americans continued to give to charity – albeit less.

The article went on to say that, as a direct result of this condition, 40 of America’s wealthiest individuals and families have signed the  "Giving Pledge."

Responding to a call by Warren Buffet and Bill and Melinda Gates, these billionaires have publicly committed to give away at least half of their wealth to charity within their lifetimes or after their deaths.

Warren Buffet was quoted in explaining that, while the pledge push might produce a short-term boost in giving, the main goal is to set an example over the long term for others to get involved in philanthropy.

"The behavior of those before does affect what happens with those after, particularly if those people are somewhat admired in society," Mr. Buffet said.  "If Carnegie and Rockefeller hadn’t done what they’d done, there’d be less philanthropy in the United States today."

What do you think?  Will this example inspire and motivate you or your clients to give?  There are many giving strategies that can provide tremendous impact without unduly taxing the finances of a person or family.

In many instances, the desire exists.  What is missing is the knowledge of how to do it.  My contribution to helping provide this knowledge is my new book, Manifest Your Legacy – Your Complete Guide for Making A Positive Impact On Your Family & Community For Generations To Come, which is now available at Amazon.com.  Visit http://www.manifestyourlegacy.com to learn more.

As an advisor, many of you have become an integral part of your clients' lives.  You are entrusted with a role that directly affects your client's quality of life. 

For some of you that role has expanded.  You have become more than an advisor; you have become a friend.  Your clients trust you and rely on you.  Like Robert Duval's character in the Godfather, you are almost a member of the family.

The goal of an effective advisor should be to become more than a salesperson.  Your job should be more than that.  Your clients look to you to improve the quality of their lives.  The common belief is that the goal of financial planning is to make sure that your clients have the resources to retire to the lifestyle of their dreams, that they are able to pariticipate in their favorite recreational activities -- to travel, to dote on grandchildren and, hopefully, to leave an inheritance for their loved ones.

The enlightened advisor goes beyond that traditional role.  He helps his clients anticipate and address needs that, up until now, were unknown to the client.  He helps them work with legal counsel to develop an estate plan.  He helps his clients organize their affairs in the event of incapacity and death.

The truly exceptional advisor goes further.  She helps her clients recognize and address much deeper needs.  She helps her clients find meaning in their lives.  The truly exceptional advisor knows that her clients have more to leave behind than money and possessions.  That some of the most valuable gifts are the stories, lessons and values that come from a richly lived life.

The truly exceptional advisor helps her clients discover what's important in their lives.  Whether it's creating a legacy statement for their family or making a lasting impact on their community, the advisor can help her client have a say in how they will be remembered.

I like to call this process legacy planning.  You can use legacy planning to introduce your clients to various methods of philanthropy, to provide a lasting gift to their families and communities and to give their lives relevance.

Can you imagine how valuable your relationship will be to your client?  You will be helping them address one of their deepest and most basic needs -- the need to give meaning to their lives.

This process will also create a powerful bond with your clients' children and families.  It strengthens your professional and personal relationship with your clients.  No longer are you just the salesperson who is constantly taking a beating from the market and your clients because of the downturn in the economy.  You are a trusted and valuable advisor.

I would welcome hearing from any advisors who are working with their clients on this deeper level.  Also, any advisors who don't believe this should be your role.  As you can see, the landscape of business is changing drastically.  I would like this discussion to address different ways we can meet this challenge.

About ten years ago, I worked with a client who was a part of the D-day invasion.  His ship was sunk before it was able to reach shore and he and the other soldiers from the ship could only float in the water about a half mile away and watch the battle unfold.  Eventually, he and the others were rescued and sent in with the second wave, but for a while he witnessed first hand the courage and sacrifice required to protect the world from tyranny.

Those first American soldiers at Lexington and Concord probably only had a small idea of the founding fathers' vision, but they fought for a better life for their children and descendants.  And for over 230 years, brave men and women have continued to serve to preserve and protect the freedom that makes our great country unique.  Men and women who were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the ideals and values that have created the greatest nation in history.

They made this commitment, not just for themselves and their families, but for the lives of those for generations to come.  That is their legacy.

Do you have any stories of friends or relatives who served our country?  Is there anyone you would like to honor for their dedication and service.  Use the comment section to make a brief tribute.  Let us honor their legacy of freedom.

When it opens in the fall, Jumo will provide a means of sharing information that already exists on the web about organizations, allowing the charities another means of reaching potential donors and volunteers. 

This looks like it will be a valuable source for persons new to the world of philanthropy who are working to create their legacies.

For more information, The Chronicle of Philanthropy has this article.