Love, Legacy, and the One Conversation We All Avoid (But Shouldn’t)

If you and I grabbed coffee, chances are—somewhere between small talk and your second, maybe third sip—we’d land on the topic of estate planning. Strange? Maybe. But it happens to me a lot. Not because I have an unusual love for discussing death, incapacity, or the fine print of legal documents, but because I know it’s a topic so many people avoid—and one that I personally believe we’ve been thinking about all wrong.

Estate planning gets a bad rap for being all doom and gloom, but what if we flipped the script? What if we looked at it for what it truly allows? The opportunity to continue our legacy in life. That’s right—continue.

You see, your legacy isn’t something that magically appears when you’re gone. It’s built every single day—the work you do, the causes you support, the way you make people feel. That’s your legacy. Don’t believe me? Go read the obituaries. Seriously. Is it morbid? A little. But also fascinating! I got this advice from the book Show Your Work, and let me tell you, it’s been a surprisingly uplifting deep dive into how people shape their lives—and legacies.

Legacy isn’t just about what happens after you pass away. It’s something you’re actively creating, and your estate plan is simply a way to ensure that what matters to you keeps going. Yes, estate planning involves crossing t’s and dotting i’s, but it’s also about passing down wisdom and making sure your values live on—whether through your family, friends, or community and nonprofits.

And yet, an estimated 67% of Americans haven’t completed their estate plans. Is it any wonder? We’ve convinced ourselves that it requires hours in a lawyer’s office, having an uncomfortable conversation about our own demise. But that’s just a tiny piece of the puzzle—and honestly, one better spent discussing with your doctor. Instead, what if we reframed it? What if we saw estate planning as a way to ensure our love, values, and impact continue? To make sure our affairs are organized and our wishes are clear so that our life’s work carries on as a living legacy?

So, have you done your estate plan? Or is Future You still stuck with that “someday” task? If it’s been 10 years, (or, let’s be honest, never), consider this your friendly nudge. Because your legacy isn’t just about what happens when you're gone—it’s about how you shape it today.