Creating your legacy

Legacy.

What does that work activate for you? Does your mind go to people who have left an indelible mark in history? Do you think about yourself and the footprint you’ll leave behind?

To be honest, legacy was never something I spent much time pondering. Perhaps it felt a bit too intimidating. Or out of my control. Something for other people to determine long after I’m gone.

But then, I had a conversation with an athlete who was having a tough time wrapping his head around the idea of a mission statement - a few sentences that embody your purpose. I realized that he wasn’t the first person I worked with to grapple with this concept. In fact, almost every athlete or high performer demonstrated some resistance in crafting a mission statement.

So, in the middle of this conversation, I heard myself reframing it and asking the athlete about his legacy instead. How did he want to be remembered? When he’s no longer playing, what kind of athlete will he be described as? And most importantly, how will he be celebrated as a human being?

Well, that worked.

He was easily able to relate to this idea of legacy and after he defined it for himself, he paid attention to how his thoughts and actions aligned (or didn’t) with the legacy he was crafting.

We are stewards of this world, and we have a calling in our lives to leave it better than how we found it.

-Jim Rohn

I strongly believe that each of us has a responsibility to make this place a little bit better. It’s not about dramatically changing the world. It’s not about beating a record or creating a fortune. Sure, those objectives can be part of it. But, I encourage you to focus on how you make other people feel. Does your story inspire? Do you challenge people to think? Do you help people feel seen? Those footprints will leave a much deeper impression in the ground.

As you think about your next steps, pay careful attention to the ripple effect you’re causing - because that, my friend, will be your legacy.