​

Legacy is what we leave behind when we are no longer here. Ultimately, regardless of how hard we fight ageing and how successful we are it, no one will ever escape the inevitability of an end to this life. Whilst none of us has the power to prevent the inevitable all of us can shape our legacy and how we are remembered when we are gone. The question of legacy shouldn't be something we leave until we're in our final days. At that point, there may not be much that we can do to restore broken or long lost relationships, heal wounds, make amends, or even leave behind something that others will remember fondly. More over as our lives pass by the chances of doing good becomes less possible. That is why it is imperative to start thinking about legacy in one's 40s and 50s. This is true even if we aim to live to 100!

There are many ways to think of legacy. The Athenian politician and leader said of legacy that "What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others." This idea is central for how I conceive of legacy. 

Taking Pericles idea as one point of departure, THW believes very strongly in starting with the immediate and gradually rippling further out as time and opportunity allow. This means we need to start at home. There is no one closer than we are to ourselves. Here THW circles back to the central premise of this site which is to look after yourself as well as you can. Your daily practices will be good for those closest to you, good for the planet, and for the Universe of which each of us is a tiny, microscopic part. Daily acts of kindness to ourselves and our families will become daily acts of kindness. With this foundation in place, one can start to think about giving back to the community and to society. The Herculean Way is the way of always improving ourselves so we can go out into the world and improve the lives of others. In coming weeks, months and years, THW will post regularly thoughts, insights, examples of legacy that provide us with inspiration, ideas, blueprints, opportunities for shaping a legacy you take pride in and which, as many anecdotal and scientific studies have shown, make us happier, healthier and more connected people. This is a time, maybe more than any in history, where kindness, compassion and connection really matter. THW is here to help you build a legacy that will matter and make a positive difference.