Legacy

It's a pretty somber day in Happy Valley, especially after losing a legend, THEIR legend.  After Joe Paterno died yesterday at the same hospital I delivered my son at just months ago, I can't help but feel like we need to seize the time we are given here and DO something. What a huge impact one guy had on a town, a sport, a university and even way beyond that. We are all leaving eventually (as in coming and going or gone forever) and we should all have our legacy in mind. A legacy leaves behind more than an inheritance ever could. It's much deeper. Money can be spent quickly, but impacts can last and last.

I came across these words this morning and I thought it was very fitting to share. Our generation was bred to strive for "success", but what about "significance"? Here's the difference:

"The successful person has learned how to make money, but the significant person has learned how to give it away - how to be generous, to share the blessings of money with those who are in need or those who help to meet a variety of social/humanitarians needs.

The successful person has achieved great things - sadly sometimes at the expense of others. He or she is proud of what has already been accomplished. The significant person understands that the greatest thing anyone can accomplish is to serve others and to help them achieve their goals.

Finally, successful people have attained a measure of status. Others look up to them and maybe even see them as role models. We often discover later that those who have become our role models let us down. They turn out to be something less than we had hoped. In direct contrast, the significant person is one who values relationships. They become trusted friends and invaluable mentors, and they invest their time in others rather than in striving to build status."*

Instead of asking "how much money can I make", think instead "how much of myself can I give"... sharing resources, serving people, and nourishing relationships. That's whats gonna last!

So are you aiming to be merely successful or lastingly significant? Think about your own legacy today.


And please keep the Paterno's, Penn State, and State College in your prayers

*Quote from the book The Generosity Factor by business guru Ken Blanchard and CEO S. Truett Cathy