When I was growing up, we heated our farm house with wood.  Every year Dad would go out into the woods and cut down trees, split and stack many cords of woods.   

Those memories came flooding back as one of my members made his MAP presentation this month.  (Members develop an annual Strategic MAP for their business & their lives as part of their Roundtable experience.)

Dan (not his real name) talked about the vivid memories he had of his father.  During his presentation Dan said:

“One of the things he kept telling us was that we needed to ‘leave the wood pile higher than how we found it.’ This, of course, meant to leave every person and everything a little better or fuller for having been in contact with us.”

What a great legacy to leave for future generations.  Dan’s family, employees, customers and people he comes in contact with have all benefited from the lessons Dan learned growing up.

We all want to be remembered, to feel we’ve contributed something to the world.  For some, this can be a driving force leading to great accomplishments that contribute to mankind.  Most of us have more modest goals. What pushes us is the desire to leave a legacy.

Your legacy is putting your stamp on the future.  It’s a way to make meaning of your existence.

“Yes, world of the future, I was here. Here’s my contribution, here’s why I hope my life mattered.”

The legacy of Dan’s father, his wonderful outlook on life, will live on for generations.

What will your legacy be?