I have no children and have started to fear for my legacy. What can I do? | Ask Philippa

But, as I increasingly ponder the likelihood of dying alone and without children, I have started to become quite critical about the point of striving in my career, and how and what I should be doing with my time.

The painter Francis Bacon came to mind as I read your email as he once said: “I suddenly realised, there it is – this is what life is like… existing for a second, [then] brushed off like flies on a wall… We are born, and we die and there’s nothing else.

It can be found in the lives you touch, the relationships you nurture, and the impact you have on others, whether that’s through your work (paid or not), community involvement, or personal connections.

Perhaps you will decide to continue to strive in your career, or maybe you’ll turn to pursue new passions, or find joy in everyday experiences.

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Recommended reads Existential Psychotherapy by Irvin D Yalom; The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware