A legacy can only be created over a lifetime. One famous incident or one grand act of kindness rarely leaves a lasting mark. The creation of a legacy must begin with a daily commitment of high personal character, a compassion for one another and a sincerity to enact these each day throughout a lifetime.

Your legacy will come from a reflection of the lives that you will impact along the way. In these reflections, there will be many heartfelt memories and lessons learned together that will be passed forward from your contributions with them. These persistent reflections will live on and ripple outward in the form of anecdotes that will continue to be told and applied in the learning process with others.

Think of the many people in your life that have made generous contributions to who and what you are as a person today. Those that made you to be significantly better than you would have been on your own. Parents, teachers, coaches, leaders and close friends quickly come to mind for many of us. These are the legacy makers within us. They served us to retain heartfelt and memorable references to guide us. We learned best from them. We won’t soon forget them. We even come to emulate them to create valuable moments, memories and stories to be retold with others that create our own legacy over time.

“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” — Shannon L. Alder —

MITM