Leaving a Lasting Impression

Years ago, I went for a walk along a beach in Tofino, on Vancouver Island.  It was an early morning and as I started walking, I came up to a single set of footprints in the sand.  I don’t think many would think most about them and carry along for a stroll, but I wound up stopping and then sitting where they were.  I started to think about them.  ‘Who do they belong to?’, ‘Where are they coming from and where are they going?’ ‘The person who left them, what are their trials/tribulations and joys/happiness’…’what is this person’s story?’  Suddenly there was a realization that tomorrow these footprints are gone.  It made me realize that we need to ‘Leave a lasting impression and not just a footprint’, so an entire keynote speech was created.  There are four elements that emerged to help you build your lasting impression and not just a footprint.

Vision – We can see with our eyes, but we need to vision the direction we are going so we can plan for the journey.

Choices – Life is going to throw many choices your way and if you don’t make the decisions, people around you and society will decide for you

Limitations – We can accomplish anything in life until we put up barriers and use words like shouldn’t, can’t, won’t.  Saying those words will limit your possibilities

Persistence – You can accomplish anything you want in life until you put up the limitations.  You are on a crash course to accomplish anything you want  until you decide you no longer want to accomplish it.  Understand that the journey is not today, tomorrow or even a couple of years, but if you want something bad enough, it is yours and you will accomplish it.

Consider these four elements and it will help to build your character and reputation…this in turn will help to leave a lasting impression.