History is filled with stories of people who intended to leave their mark on the world. One of them wasAlexander the Great. He is known to most of us in modern society even though he has been dead for more than 2,000 years. He was educated by Aristotle and made emperor by the age of 16. By 21 he controlled two thirds of the known world. In his time, Alexander the Great created more than 20 cites all bearing his own name. But what was his legacy? What most of us think of is a reputation. Theword legacy is defined as “an inheritance or gift that is left for someone else.” Alexander the Great accomplished many things, but you don’t have to study him for very long to figure out that he was his biggest fan. He was not trying to contribute to society, he was only ever serving himself.

We are living and working within the legacy that was left by peoplewho came before us. We live in a world that was created by both people who served themselves and by those who intended to leave a gift for the peoplewho would come behind them. At The Healing Place, we are blessed to be in an environment where truly incredible things happen every day. It was built by an amazing team of people with tremendous reputations and they should be proud of what they have done. But, I do not believe that all of this is the result of some grand masterplan.The goal was never to gain the praise of others. I think they just showed up every day and worked as hard as they could. They brought empathy, compassion, and tolerance with them. Their priority was helping people with their problems, not building a legend to be remembered by.

Now we find ourselves able to expand upon the foundation that was created by these men and women. What we are building now will last for a long time and eventually be passed to others later. We must bring that same compassion and tolerance with us on this journey. These new challenges should be met with kindness as well as determination. We have an obligation to work just as hard as they did and to carry the torch until it can be handed off. Winston Churchill said it best when he told us that “the price of greatness is responsibility.”

I would like to challenge everyone, as well as myself, to pause when faced with a difficult circumstance and think about the gifts that we have been given. Take a moment to consider the example that other people have set, before you react to a person or situation that is hard to deal with.Our gift to the people that are coming up behind us is to show them the right way to handle ourselves under tough conditions. I would ask you to think about the hard work someone else did that has put you where you are and use it as motivation when you take on your next task. We should think about the people that will come behind us and try our best to set them up for success. So as we go through the day and find ourselves facing some new test of our patience that is all dressed up as hard work, I hope that we can stop for a moment and ask the question “what do you want your legacy to be?”

-M.L.