Legacy: It's Not What We Do, but What We Leave Behind

As I turn 26, I am noticing that a lot of people at my age are in a turning point of their life. People are getting married, having children, and starting career paths. Coming from the Millennial Generation, we are often seen as the "me" generation... and for good reason; what with the advent of social media, it is hard to not to be lambasted with images of "look where I vacations" and "look what I am eating" and "look at my accomplishment." People measure success in different ways, however I believe that true success is measured not by what we are doing, but what we leave behind from those efforts. Events such as marriages, having children, or creating a DPT program happen to more than one person, and it is what you do to make this experiences special that create true success.

One example of this is holding titles/offices. Any one can hold a title, but it is what you do with that power that matters. For instance (at the chance of being political here), the title of President. Anyone can be president, but it is what you do with that title that you are measured for your success. History is a documentation of what was left behind, and greatness is determined by those historical artifacts. Think of a president of the United States. Right now. Any president. My guess is that you chose Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, JKF, FDR, or maybe even Obama. It is also my assumption that the names Filmore, van Buren, and Harrison probably didn't cross your mind. That is because, unlike the former, these individuals didn't leave much of a lasting impact. Now that is not to say that they weren't good at their job, but relative to other POTUSes, these guys weren't exactly political icons. Another difference between these two groups are that the POTUSes that were in power during the greatest times of adversity had the opportunity to engage with and react to the challenges presented to them, thus leaving a memorable legacy.

With the ever-changing landscape of health care reforms, we as physical therapists have the same opportunity to leave a lasting impression on our fellow health care workers. We are presented with unprecedented challenges right now to which we can either respond with strength and passion, or we can wait 20 years to wave an "I Participated" pennant. If we allow ourselves to be defined as what we are doing, such as simply attending PT school, or completing a PT residency, or treating patients, we are only filling half of the puzzle. We must see our actions from the perspectives of future minds who will look at us and see what we left behind. What did we do to create a lasting impact on the field? Simply existing and showing up isn't enough. Anyone can hold an office or say they are "super involved," but unless you have the evidence to back up your claims, people are going to call you on your null hypothesis. We must thirst for change and strive for lasting impacts.

In short, don't make people just look, make them focus. Saying that you held an office is not nearly as impressive as the programs you implemented or the practices you affected. You may have a laundry list of a resume, but that will eventually mean nothing. Resume-building is important, but once you reach a certain level of superiority, people start to look at what you are doing instead of the fact that you have that status. History will forget you if you do only enough to look impressive on paper. To quote the play Hamilton, history has it's eyes on you... so now that it is looking, what are you going to do to make it focus in on you?