“We should want to live to at least 120.”
“Why?” my friend asked while laughing.
“Because of how many people we could impact, influence, and inspire.”
For better or worse, I think about legacy extremely often. Perhaps it’s because some scientists claim human beings are only here to survive and reproduce, which to me, tells only part of the whole story. Perhaps it’s because lives void of greater vision causes nihilism. Or, perhaps it’s because I deeply know the drastic, deep, positive impact my closest relationships, mentors, and role models have had on me.
What do we want said about us during the eulogy at our funeral?
Who could we inspire when we live authentically and enthusiastically every day?
How many people might we influence over the course of our lifetimes?
Stoic philosophers like Marcus Aurelius and Seneca advocated for daily reflection on an idea called “Moment Mori,” which translates to, “Remember, you will die.”
By consistently considering the fact we will pass away, we tend to love more passionately and to live with greater urgency.
To appreciate sunshine, individuals must withstand rain. To cherish health, individuals must experience pain. To immensely value life, individuals must contemplate death. What will others remember about us when our lives on Earth when it’s all said and done?
Legacy stems from the word “legare,” which means to bequeath and to leave something to another. Every season, down to specific moments in time, each of us consistently gets to choose what we will leave behind. In sports, we say: “make sure you leave your jersey and your program better than you found it.” Similar to being a guest in someone else’s home, how do we clean up after ourselves and say goodbye, once our stay is complete? In business, just like life, the ways in which we communicate, negotiate, and reciprocate determine whether we build bold bonds or we merely sell as short-term strangers.
One bold bond that comes to mind includes a woman named Natalie Wills. Her and I met through endeavors with USA Lacrosse. She was the Head of Partnerships as I worked as the Mental Performance Coach for the National Team Development Program. Natalie always greeted everyone with a bright smile, a tone of excitement, and a big hug. She laughed so often. As she listened to whatever was being said, made direct eye contact with whoever was speaking, and nodded as she followed along; this made everyone in her presence feel so important.
Days ago, she passed away from breast cancer at 36 years old. Way too young. So many years ahead to live. So many people ahead to inspire. Nevertheless, Natalie made an indelible impact on the USA Lacrosse community, one full of light, laughter, and love.
Two months before she passed away, I received a palpable text from her. It finished with the following line: “Mark, I want to live, but I don’t know what that looks like.” Cancer and its treatments had drained her energy. She was striving to “find joy in things [she] normally loved — like coaching, her dog, the beach, even Taylor Swift.” I responded with the most encouraging words I could think of as her war between sadness and happiness, illness and heath persisted: “I’m sorry to hear you are in pain, and that you’re suffering. I wish I could ease that burden with words and actions. I’m inspired and have been inspired by your smile through storms. You are a light.”
Even though she is no longer here in flesh, the spirit in which Natalie lived will influence the way I look at impact others going forward. That’s her legacy. That’s what she left behind. That’s what she bequeathed: her light.
It’s not about how many days we live in our life.
It’s about how much life we live in our days.
LET others know, experience, and feel the best versions of us.
My managing director on Wall Street taught me a lesson I’ll never forget: clients LET you work with them. They must Like you. You must be able to Execute for them. They must Trust you. If only two of those three variables exist, a long-term relationship is impossible to create. Clients who like you and know you can execute, yet they cannot trust you, will never return down the road. Clients who know you can execute and they trust you, yet they do not like you, rather work with others. Clients who trust you and like you, yet believe you cannot execute for them, take their business elsewhere.
Don’t just strive to make it happen, LET it happen.
If a client was asked whether they like you… whether you execute consistently… whether they trust you… what would they say? How we make clients, friends, and partners feel determines whether or not they LET us work, play, and dance with them in the weeks, months, and years ahead.
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
— Maya Angelou
At a charity event years ago, the guest speaker provided the following equation for leadership. Leadership = Vision + Character + Legacy. In order to be a leader, he exclaimed, we must focus on the first two. Is where we want to go, years from now, a destination worth suffering for? Are we carrying out the qualities necessary to overcome obstacles on the way to that vision? Do we fully understand that we are never fully in control of the third factor, Legacy, yet clarity of vision and steadiness of character create one that is lasting? We do not need to be the president or prime minister of a country to lead; we must set a vision and go on a mission to lead… our own lives, our inner circles, and our local communities.
Call to Action: Create a long-term vision. Who would you love to become 3, 10, 30 years from now? Who would you love to be surrounded by? What are you consistently doing? Where are you living? Which causes are you working on? Why? The more specific, the more terrific. Once you paint a picture of your future, consider the standards (behaviors + sustainable frequencies) it will take to get there. Embodying elite standards cultivates elite character. Create a vision and then go on a mission!
“The road is long and seeming without end. The days go on, I remember you, my friend. And though you’re gone and my heart’s been emptied it seems, I’ll see you in my dreams… When all our summers have come to an end, we’ll meet and live and laugh again. Yeah, up around the river bend, for death is not the end…” — Bruce Springsteen
Inspire: to breathe life into
Before our last breath, who will we breathe life into?
With agency, live urgently and leave a loving legacy!
Mark Glicini
Mark Glicini: Jul 2, 2026 7:02:00 PM
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