I attended a pretty spectacular funeral this past weekend. I get that it might seem like an oxymoron. But it was truly a celebration of life. There was a live band at the reception. A room full of people laughing, crying, swapping stories. A life cut too short for all of those who loved her.
And it got me thinking about legacy and how we think about it or don’t.
Legacy can be a powerful north star.
It can be a moral compass check.
It can be a motivator.
But most of us misunderstand it.
We tend to think of legacy as something that comes later. Something tied to accomplishments, milestones, or a highlight reel we imagine people will remember when we’re gone. In reality, legacy is far quieter and far more present than that.
Legacy is being built in the ordinary moments.
In how you speak to people when things are tense.
In what standards you hold when it would be easier to lower them.
In how you show up when no one is applauding.
It’s built in the conversations you have when a deal falls apart.
In the way you treat people who can’t “do anything for you.”
In the choices you make when the market gives you an excuse to cut corners.
What struck me most that day wasn’t the scale of her life. It was the consistency of it. The stories people told weren’t about titles or wins. They were about how she made people feel. About the way she lived. About the permission she gave others to be more themselves simply by being fully herself.
That’s the part we don’t talk about enough.
Legacy isn’t just what you leave behind.
It’s what you give others while you’re here.
When you choose integrity over urgency, you model steadiness.
When you choose standards over applause, you model leadership.
When you live honestly, you give other people permission to do the same.
You don’t have to be louder.
You don’t have to do more.
You don’t have to chase some future version of yourself.
You’re already writing the story, one day at a time.
Coaching Corner: Protect Your Peace, Protect Your Work
If legacy is built in the small moments, this is where it shows up professionally:
- Audit what you tolerate.
Look at your current business. Which clients, deals, or behaviors are you allowing that quietly drain your energy or lower your standards? Legacy is shaped as much by what you say no to as what you pursue. - Notice how you lead under pressure.
When a deal gets tense, inventory is tight, or timelines slip, your leadership shows. Are you calm and direct, or reactive and rushed? Clients and teams remember how you make them feel in moments of uncertainty. - Make one standards-based decision this week.
Choose one action that reflects the professional you intend to be long-term, not the one responding to short-term market noise. Price honestly. Set a boundary. Walk away from a misaligned business.
The agents and leaders who build enduring businesses are not the busiest.
They are the clearest.
Your reputation is being formed right now, in real time, through everyday decisions.
That is the legacy that compounds.
What that funeral reminded me of is this:
people don’t remember how busy you were.
They remember how you carried yourself.
In business, just like in life, legacy isn’t built in the big announcements. It’s built in the way you handle pressure, the standards you refuse to abandon, and the calm you bring into rooms where others are scrambling.
The work you do matters.
The way you do it matters more.
Long after the market shifts, after this cycle passes, after the deals blend together, what remains is your reputation. Your judgment. Your presence. That’s the part that compounds.
Build your business in a way that you’d be proud to stand behind, even when no one is watching. That’s not just good business. That’s a life well led.
