Tag: It Is Your Legacy

Don’t Compare Run Your Race

It Is Your LegacyLeave a comment

Comparison is dangerous.

Last weekend I went to a triathlon event with multiple races. I watched. Some took all day and others were less than an hour.

As participants finished a short race I noticed … tall, short, stout, skinny, young, old, moms and dads, some striving hard and others just surviving. A few had artificial limbs, most didn’t know anybody except for a friend or family member.

They just ran their race and they finished. Each one had their reason for running. If they had tried to copy someone else they would have been miserable and failed.

With over 500 participants I’m sure a few were disappointed in their outcome, but most have started telling the story of a completed race.

I can image the Monday morning stories of big waves and oppressive heat and the challenges they faced … but they lived to tell the story.

Leave a good legacy … run your race.

One Decision

It Is Your LegacyLeave a comment

In 1958 my parents moved to Atlanta to pursue a dream. My dad was given an opportunity to advance his career. They moved away from family and friends for something that they thought was better.

Their decision to pursue something new gave me a path to run on that previously did not exist … and it has made all the difference.

A decision you make today can change the course of a generation. Leave a good legacy.

Make it Special

It Is Your LegacyLeave a comment

Your kids and grandkids will remember the “special” preparation to make something fun.

You can make things special, and it doesn’t cost much. My wife is the best.

Our table for a lunch yesterday had clippings from purple, red and golden bougainvilleas. It was beautiful.

Our grandkids loved a home made pistachio cake. They still talk about a scavenger hunt around our home just taking pictures with a phone.

The kids love looking at themselves in new photos printed monthly (just a few) on a bulletin board around my desk.

Simple, intention “things”, that little eyes remember. I hope for a lifetime.

Make it special and be present to enjoy it with them.

It is your legacy. Leave a good one.

Write It Down

It Is Your LegacyLeave a comment

It is your life. It is your story. It is your legacy. Write it down.

Not everyone likes to write or writes well. Yet, when a story is written down, there is a lingering power of influence.

Either write your stories or have someone else write them. I have family photos, WWII photos and a few stories shared over the years from my family regarding my dad. However, the stories written by others provide the most lasting memories of the few short years I spent with him.

The month my dad died the company he worked for printed a story in their monthly newsletter. The article described his struggle with cancer while still working a full day and serving civic and charitable causes.

When he was asked why he kept so busy … he said, “ …. helping others, keeps me alive.”

I have forgotten most words spoken about my dad, but at least once a year I look at a folded newsletter in my sock drawer. It reminds me of his life of service.

His life, his story, his legacy has become my life of service and my story and now my legacy…..because it was written down.

Write it down.

Persist

It Is Your LegacyLeave a comment

Persistence, perseverance and endurance are key character qualities to model. As you tell stories of when you endured difficult circumstances, also include stories that may not be so serious. Here’s one of mine.

I learned a lot about persistence the day I shot my future son-in-law.

Fishing is not the only thing we do at my uncle’s farm. Many hours have been spent on the back porch reading, napping and “visiting”. From the porch you can see both ponds, two old country barns, shade trees and a clothesline hooked between two posts.


One day our family gathered on the screened porch when suddenly we became aware of an unidentifiable movement. I’m not sure who saw it first, but a long snake had slithered through the azaleas and it’s head reared up and pressed his face up against the screen. It was eye level with the occupants on the love seat. You can only imagine the hysteria that took place. We found high ground quickly standing on the furniture. We were screaming even though a steel screen protected us.


Most logic had evaporated from the educated brain pool on the porch, so I “brave the wild” with the only weapon that I could find… my handy dandy, low-powered BB gun. It was about time to graduate it from shooting cans off the fence post. With a carton of BBs in hand, I loaded twenty BBs and commenced firing… this was it…time to save the family.


The snake had wound its way through the thick azaleas so there was no way for me to determine my effectiveness or to see the entire snake. Load and shoot. Only half of the shots were getting anywhere near the snake’s head. As I reloaded and continued firing, those on the porch began screaming and dancing uncontrollably. Then I heard, “Dad! Stop! You just shot (name withheld – a future son-in-law)”. Apparently a couple of shots had hit the brick wall behind the azaleas and ricocheted through the screen hitting him in the calf. A complete circus of craziness echoed through the country.

I repositioned my aim away from my son-in-law and continued the assault. It took endless rounds before the feat was accomplished. Dragging the snake out with a rake revealed that he was over 6 feet.

The force of the BB was not strong enough to penetrate the skin, but it was strong enough to give the snake a bad headache. Small actions, done consistently, will be productive over time.

All participants survived and now live to tell the story of the day I shot one of my son-in-laws, instead of my story of persistence.

It is your life. It is your story. It is your legacy.

Persist.

A Legacy of Pancakes

It Is Your LegacyLeave a comment

Playing, joking and doing stupid tricks are all part of leaving a legacy.

Do you have fun with your kids or grandkids? Regardless of who you are or where you are from, your kids will remember the crazy things you do together. Smiling, laughing and sometimes breaking things create stories that will be told at dinner tables for years.

My wife and I will have some of the grandkids over tonight. Their only request is to make pancakes and flip them over our shoulders to a plate 10 feet away. Last time it was pure craziest. They talked about it for weeks.

If we keep this up, this will be part our our legacy. – Moma and Papa know how to have fun.

It is your legacy. Have some fun!

It Is Your Legacy – Write It

It Is Your LegacyLeave a comment

You are going to leave a legacy. Intentionally telling your stories will build and guide it.

I don’t know if this is a true quote. It is probably adapted. Someone once quoted Winston Churchill as saying, “History will be kind to me, because I intend to write it.” There is a key principle. Whoever writes history controls the discussion.

We are not writing history, but we are gathering memorable events, people and happenings that the entire family knows. We are talking about everyday life. We are building our legacy.

Ask your kids to name one or two of the funniest, biggest, most dramatic, craziest etc. things that you have experienced as a family. Find a noble theme that describes what happened like courage or persistence. Or find a weird slogan that brings back the laughter, “don’t give grandma prunes for Thanksgiving dinner.” Then tell it often. They will remember.

It is your legacy and you intend to write it.

Let it Go

It Is Your LegacyLeave a comment

Not all sentimental possessions make good stories.

My family had a lawnmower that dated back to the 1940s. It was a push mower and required physical strength to turn the blades. I remember pushing it 50 years ago. It was terrible.

Yet, I kept it. It was sentimental but not practical. One of my kids wanted to use it where they lived. It did not work well and it was not fixable. When asked if I still wanted it I said, “let it go.” There was not a story attached to the mower.

In leaving a legacy, the goal is not a sentimental journey, but a compelling story that encourages the next generation to live today.

A few boxes hold my sentimental stuff and my kids usually politely yawn. I like that.

It is your legacy. Give your kids compelling stories.

Suffering

It Is Your LegacyLeave a comment

The bigger your adventure the more hardship and suffering you will face. There is always a cost.

After completing The Great Floridian Triathlon the muscles in my legs were in knots and my feet were in shock. In preparing for the marathon I did not train by walking. Thus, my feet were soft from only swimming and biking. I paid for it.

When my wife and I arrived at the hotel I collapsed on the bed. She removed my shoes and over the next 45 minutes used a warm wash cloth to remove my blood soaked socks that had embedded in my feet. It was bad. I hobbled for days.

Yet, it was worth it. I left a new story in the legacy that I am leaving to my family – Finish Well!

Pursuing anything – an adventure, a relationship or a new career will include hardship and suffering. You will probably not physically bleed, but you will pay a price.

It is your legacy.

Tell your story and include the bloody socks. They will never forget what you went through in pursuing your dream.

Finish Well

It Is Your LegacyLeave a comment

I woke up on October 20th, in Clermont, Florida ready for the day. I ate breakfast, shaved and brushed my teeth, and then out of nowhere I became emotional. I couldn’t believe I actually had an opportunity to pursue this dream. I had also been reflecting.

When my father was 54 years old, he died of cancer and I remembered the hands of those who wanted to simply touch his casket at the funeral. Now, at 54, my wife, two daughters and their husbands, and my two sons are about to watch me live to the fullest: their hands and voices cheering me on to completion. When you add the fact that just two years earlier I had a cancerous prostate removed, I was about to embark on a significant achievement for my family and me.

One of my goals as a father has been to influence the lives of my children so that they will have the greatest success. I was flooded with emotion as I realized that I was about to give each of them a lasting memory of what it means to finish well. This was going to be a great day … or two.

My gear was prepared for transition. My wetsuit was on. Although in comparison to the others, my bike looked like an uninvited guest at a black tie event, but it didn’t matter. I was at the party, and it was time to dance. I’ve got this!

The swim started, and I am already in big trouble. Within the first five minutes all my confidence waned as a 20 mph head wind made the lake rough for the swim. I also did not plan on the Adrenalin rush. My heart raced. Before I could reach the first buoy I flipped on my back to catch my breath and slow my heart. Suddenly, I see someone on a surf board come over and say, “Hey sir, are you ok?” For a brief moment I wondered if they would have to pull me out of the water. If that happened, I’d be back home in South Florida before lunch and I would never know if I had what it took to finish.

I finally calmed down as I remembered the song, “Be Still and Know That I Am God”. Just stroke and breathe…stroke and breathe. Making headway, but constantly off course, I finished the first lap in 55 minutes, but I was behind my self-imposed schedule. At the turnaround one of my son-in-laws said I should get the award for walking the furthest into the water before I started the second lap.

I felt calmer this time around. As I made the final turn to head back to shore, the waves really started rocking, the sun came out from under the clouds, and I became seasick (as in treading water and vomiting). I didn’t know that was even possible while you swam! If it weren’t for the help of wearing a wetsuit I would still be swimming. One hour and fifty-five minutes. I finished part one. I was still in the race and I was exhausted. I’ve got this.

As I changed into my bike gear, I found some comfort in the changing area.  There were six other men in transition.  I’m not last… yet. The bike portion began well.  I was hydrating and eating the planned food and the aide stations were well stocked with friendly volunteers.  The strategy worked and the bike performed well.  Except for a brief moment when my chain got stuck, everything went smoothly.  My shoes released easily from the pedals.  I still walked up that big hill, yet I saved a lot of energy.  No flats. A great ride, even though each lap took longer than the last.  I even received encouragement from an unexpected source.  As the leaders passed me on the second lap they each told me to keep working hard, I will make it.

After I finished lap two, 75 miles now completed, I began riding the final 38 miles. This was further than I have ever ridden. I was in the final frontier. When I finally would make it to the top of a hill, I had just enough energy to hang on downhill in low gear so I could grind out another hill. There were numerous times when my legs were on the verge of cramping, “Pain is just weakness leaving the body” resounded in my mind. The bike finish cut-off time was 6:30 p.m. and I was in at 5:57 p.m. Time to spare.

As I came into the bike finish, in front of family and many onlookers, I released my left shoe from the pedal with no problem, but the shoe stuck in the rear spokes and before I could plan an escape I was down. My family was screaming, onlookers gasped and I felt like a fool. I got up quickly with nothing bruised but my ego, and one hundred feet later I crossed the bike finish line. I had trained well and I was on target. All I have to do is walk 26.2 miles. No problem! I’ve got this now!

My walk started while it was still daylight. I was focused and determined, and I began with a surprisingly fast walking pace. Other runners were still on the course so at least I had company. The course was three laps on a very wide walking trail, with about a 3/4 mile steep hill per lap. A large part of the course ran next to Lake Minneola and was lined with antique style streetlights. My first lap took 2 hours and 4 minutes, a decent pace. I was on target. I mostly walked with the occasional trot. I felt confident as I approached the second lap.

After about a mile, I realized my legs and feet were not happy. My quadriceps were in knots and they were on the verge of cramping. My feet were bruised and blisters had developed over half of both feet. I was in big trouble. After a few more miles the trotting stopped, and all I have left is a much slower paced walk. It was after 11:00 p.m. when I started lap three. Nine miles to go. Keep standing. Walk forward. Don’t stop. On the last lap there are only a few of us left. Some can still trot and they pass me. A few call it a night and abandon the last lap. They don’t finish. The men of my family joined me. There will be no competive advantage for me; I’m at the end of the line. They simply provided encouragement and safety on an isolated journey.

The aide stations had been unmanned for the last hour. It’s just me and Peter who passes me early and Henry who passes me late. The officials from Sommer Sports sent a golf cart out to determine if we truly are the last participants. They told me they would be waiting. I’m close.

There was no short run of victory through the finish line, only a slow, deliberate and measured walk. The grass was unsteady under my feet. And just like the first place finisher, the finish line banner was stretched out and waited for me. Cheers, cameras, smiles and hugs poured in from my family, and the 5 officials who remained. No one else was there. Sommer Sports gave me a GFT Finisher T-Shirt and a medal, “Stronger than Iron”. I had finished.

After 18 hours and 46 minutes and 10 seconds at 2:16:10 a.m. on October 21, 2012, the day after I began, I realized a dream. I had completed an Ultra Distance Triathlon (140.6 total miles). I finished!

I have attended sporting events for all four of our children and now our grandchildren. The goal has always been to finish strong and to finish well, but no matter what….finish. Perseverance is a character quality everyone should have.

Don’t just tell your kids to persevere, live a story that requires perseverance. They will never forget.

It is your legacy. Finish!

Keith Albert # 7 2012 Great Floridian Triathlon

Finisher 18:46:10