A Memorable Impact
A few weeks ago, I got to be part of a really special event. We got to bring the Goalpost team down to Cleveland, Ohio. We worked at a Ronald McDonald Charity House event that had been put together by a man by the name of Mike Clegg. One of the interesting things about this particular event was the fact that I had never met Mike Clegg. Yet, his legacy and his presence in the event was incredibly present. Due to the fact that he had intentionally built a legacy over the course of the last 40 years.
What was most interesting about this was not the amount of money that it raised nor the amount of difference that it made in the people’s lives whom that particular event benefited. What was truly impactful and impressive, as far as I’m concerned, was the number of people that were associated with him. So many had been directly mentored and touched by Mike Clegg. He was able to leave a legacy of business professionals around the Cleveland area. One that I had never really seen before.
How Do We Think About Legacy?
To see an organization, a group, of that type of high-powered individuals that all could point back to a single person who made a huge difference in terms of mentorship and legacy within their lives, was very impressive. It begged the question, “How do we think about legacy in our lives?”. We often think about it with kids or buildings or money. But, all it comes down to is, are you able to make intentional choices consistently? Choices that make an impact in the lives of people?
Focus On Intentional Legacy
That’s been the challenge that I walked away from that experience with. How can I focus daily to make intentional choices to make an impact? I have the great blessing and advantage of having five kids that listen to me. More than ever, the experience that I had looking at the legacy and the life of Mike Clegg and the people that he was able to touch, was, how can I make those intentional decisions to leave an impact on my kids, on the people around me, on the community? You’re going to leave a legacy.
The question is, is that legacy going to be intentional? Are you going to be proud of what that legacy is? Or is that legacy just going to be something that is a by-product of happenstance? Will it be that you just showed up and did stuff for a bunch of years, and people remember whatever they end up remembering? Or is it an intentionally planted seed that you grow and water decade after decade? And that’s what I hope to do, is to plant seeds, tend them, water them, and make sure that I’m doing that consistently. Focus on intentional legacy.
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