“I hope that the next generations will not only improve technically but also know how to share their knowledge. People must pass on the traditions and not lose them.” – Teruo Chinen 9th dan Goju Ryu (1941-2015)
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What does it mean to leave a legacy?
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In simple terms, a legacy is passed from one generation to the next. A lasting legacy is all about the actions you take during your life and the way those actions affect how people remember you.
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The things a person accomplishes throughout life form the basis of the individual’s legacy. A person’s legacy of accomplishments isn’t just about winning awards and coming out ahead. It includes all kinds of accomplishments, such as successfully overcoming adversity, having good technical standards and principles, excelling as a leader, and much more. The things a person does and achieves throughout a lifetime form a powerful legacy that others will remember about them.
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The influence an individual has on others is also an important aspect of a legacy. People who set positive examples for others through their actions and words can leave a powerful legacy of good deeds and appropriate behavior.
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If you want to leave a legacy, invest in people, and encourage those you develop to pass on everything they learn from you, to others who will do the same. People are what matter in this world—not money, or fame, or buildings, or organizations, or institutions. Only people.
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Carrying on a legacy from someone you have followed, someone you believed in, your karate lineage, is this important to you?
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Just over a year ago a senior instructor passed away. After classes on Saturday afternoon he would visit the dojo and sit with us to discuss anything and everything. His health began to fail and he would talk about passing on his dojo to us, to continue the association he had created with like-minded individuals. He wanted the legacy that he had followed, to continue and to grow with us.
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Unfortunately the bricks and mortar that was meant to be entrusted to us did not happen. But a legacy is not leaving something for people. It’s leaving something in people. We influence people every day by what we say and do, what we write, create and share, and all of that influence adds up.
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Teachers who go above and beyond when it comes to sharing their expertise, the gift of knowledge, and values, and the influence an individual has on others is an important aspect of any legacy. 
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