A Legacy of Leadership!

Posted by Peter Comrie

There lies in the heart of every man a quiet hunger. A longing for an earth shaking significance. It can be heard in the quiet, most unedited times like when our head hits the pillow at night. As the pressures of the day fade away the voice catches our attention. “I was meant for more than this, there has got to be something more.”

This calling catches us by surprise at the strangest times. We have felt it as a fire-in-the-belly as we watch movies like Braveheart and Gladiator. We remember the zealous times of our youth when our ideals and passion seemed to rule us. The world, however has ended up cold and somewhere along the road something was lost.

Many men and women alike have learned to accept a life of quiet resignation, committed to maintaining the status-quo. But still, in the times we least expect it, we hear that distant call again. A call for meaning, purpose, passion, significance. It continues to haunt us, to stalk us, and as we try to silence it with reason and maturity we find that indeed, it is a fire within our bones and it will not yield.

Our suspicions are correct. There is a larger story and we have a role to play in it. It has been said that what a man does during his life shall echo throughout eternity. Regardless of whether we choose to or not, we will leave a legacy. We will leave either blessings or curses to those that follow.

Marianne Williamson wrote,

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Most men spend years running from their purpose. Many spend years in waiting for their purpose to be revealed. But it is on the battleground of life that you find your role in the larger story. The script will not be delivered before the next scene, but it will come to you in your courage.

If you are ready to find your purpose, find the voice. Go back to the places that you have heard it most clear. For some it comes in the early morning, before the cares of the day have drowned them out. For others it comes through music, or movies, or books. For others it is found on a walk through the woods or on the side of a mountain. Find the voice again and listen. Allow it to stir you up again. Then begin to move in the direction it calls.

Your legacy is written on your heart, it’s up to you to lead and write it on the hearts of others.