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loyd “Money” Mayweather vs Conor McGregor is perhaps the most hyped sports event of 2017. People the whole wide world over have been waiting with baited breathe for this duel. Overtones over this match up has dominated local and international news channels, family gatherings, bar and restaurant talks as well as boardrooms.

Mayweather has a record 49 wins and no loss coming into this match up. How about that for a legacy! McGregor is a mixed martial arts champion, one just hopes that he will not pull a Tyson move when things go south!

Speaking of Mike Tyson, I can never forget where I was and what I was doing when the man dominated the world of boxing a teenager. “Iron Mike” as was his pet name will forever be etched in the annals of boxing as one of the most promising boxers who never lived to the full extent of his billing. What do you think is going on in his mind when he observes Floyd Mayweather seeking to create an indelible legacy in boxing?

The man just came out of retirement to prove a point. Now, whether Mayweather loses or wins this fight, there is absolutely no question about the legacy that he has built. It is impressive to say the least and it will take a colossal mess to spoil it.

What is Iron Mike Thinking?

The same cannot be said of Iron Mike Tyson. I want you to transport yourself to where Mike Tyson is at the moment and try to analyze his inner feelings as all the hype about the fight of the year is going on.

• Chances are that you will feel a massive sense of regret
• Chances are that you will come to the full knowledge that you could have been better
• Chances are that you will realize that you had the world at your feet but you totally wasted your moment
• Chances are that you feel if you would have gone back, or if you were given a second chance, you would never repeat the mistakes that you made
• Chances are that you know that you know that you know that you would have surpassed the legacy of Mayweather, and perhaps that of Mohammad Ali.

When all these feelings of failure and having wasted your chance flood your thoughts like an incessant waterfall, finally you realize that life is presenting you with two options.

In fact, when all is said and done, life always gives us two options:

• Draw a line in the sand, stand up and make the most of what remains of it,

• Succumb to a past failure or success, dim your lights and check out of life in a whimper

We Too Could be Guilty

If you look carefully, there are millions of “Mike Tysons” out there today. Some of them are in the academic world. Some in the entrepreneurial world. Some in sports, some in arts. Some can be found in politics and still some can be found in religious circles. Others are in the Business world and still others in the music world.

My point is that [ictt-tweet-inline]A Mike Tyson is as close home as ourselves.[/ictt-tweet-inline] There are scores of people the world over who have “retired” because they failed in one aspect of their lives. In fact, retirement itself has always been a death sentence according to statistics. In other words, people die faster after retiring because they think or they perceive themselves either not to have been useful enough according to an inherent life purpose, or they think that they are no longer needed in life.

The Remedy?

Thankfully, there are six ways at least that one can implement in order to either rekindle a legacy or to “go away on a high”. These six ways however are only available to the person who has drawn the line in the sand and decided to make the best of what remains of life. The vein of my writing might seem as if I am targeting people who are in the twilight years of their lives, but you would be wrong. [ictt-tweet-inline]All of us have “a remainder part of our lives” that can always be better.[/ictt-tweet-inline] They look so simple and easy so much so that millions of people have totally ignored them. What are these six ways?

1. Defiance

“Mzee ni wewe!” That is Swahili Slang predominantly used by Kenyans. In essence, if you call someone “Old”, they will retort that you are the one who is old and you should dare not call them old anyway. The defiance I am talking about here is a deep inner resolve refusing to agree that your best days are behind you, but embracing a firm decision that you are still useful in life. This is where the battle is lost or won. All we ever do or don’t is based on an internal decision or belief. Therefore, the first thing that one must have is a belief that they are valuable, useful and destined for greatness regardless of how much they have failed or how “old” they might be.

Consequently, one needs to take great care of the mind, feeding it with positive and inspirational vibe. I think it is great disservice to expose your mind to news. News never focus on what is going right, but people make money through peddling fear, embarrassment, failure,  dark predictions, gossip and hyped scenarios of what a “good life” looks like. You expose yourself for a whole day to this and you get defeated hands down.

2. Active Engagement

You live in a body. You tend to live your legacy when your body is fully functional. Peter J. Daniels at 74 said that he does not need a walking cane or a wheel chair. He said that he punches bags, rides horses and exercises in gyms. Unfortunately, we have very many young people who never take care of their bodies. Such will fall off immediately when they “retire”. Actively engaging yourself in activities keeps you young and alive. In fact, it creates a flood of ideas that you can implement. Start with the simplest exercise and get it done. Then add others slowly. That is the secret. But stay consistent.

3. Reflection

The world is full of helter skelter of activities each day. People seldom have time to sit down, take stock and reflect of what has been, what could be and what will be. Your spirit is the eternal part of you. You are a spirit. All manner of legacy come from this aspect of your life. It is important to get in touch with your spirit and start downloading the simple and major dreams of your life. It also important to get in touch with the your Maker, because when all is said and done, that is where we shall end. There is no denying how alive your spirit is, no matter how much we want to discount that fact with our mental reasoning. When all is said and done, that which is done by honoring your spirit is what will still count. If anything, it is the most important legacy you could leave.

4. Purity to A Cause

In this world, there is no human being without a dream, whoever small it might be. The problem is that we are so bogged down with looking good, feeling good and gathering the goods to focus on a God-given dream. I think the greatest gift we can give this world is being fiercely pure to a cause greater than ourselves each day. This means that if you have found out what matters to you, what you are passionate about, it is good that you stay focused on it till the very end. Such a one will never talk about retirement. That is why Mayweather has built a center to groom other young upcoming boxing champions. His work on earth never will end. I don’t think the same can be said of Mike Tyson, sadly.

5. A Choice

The greatest choice a human being can make is to be alive, present and give 100% effort each day. I am talking about a day at a time. Such a human being will wake up planned, happy and focused. The problem is that we are trying to live 100 days at a time. We end up being bogged down with so much that it is easy to get discouraged. Make a choice to give the best each day. Now, this might also be translated to mean “each assignment”, or “each job”, or “each responsibility”. In fact, I have previously said that if you cannot give 100% to something, it is better you get out of the way and let someone else who can handle it.

6. Others

A life devoted to use our gifts, talents, material and financial wealth to the betterment of others is the ultimate end of having lived. You can never go wrong with this. Unfortunately again, people think that you have to have so much in order to do this. They think that you need to build a foundation in order to do this. Nothing can be further from the truth. You see, when you are helping someone, you are not necessarily totally delivering them as their savior. All you are doing is either planting seeds or watering what has been planted in order to help them stand on their own feet. When Oprah for example bought houses for the homeless at some point, all she did was to provide them with a chance to exercise their potential without the care or burden of housing. That help was not the end in itself…it was simply a booster.

This way of looking at helping people will release you to do so much.

In closing, you can accept defeat and go full out or you can draw a line in the sand and redeem yourself. It’s open for all of us.