Last weekend, I spent several hours walking a field that once served as a Native American settlement more than a thousand years ago. The field looked ordinary enough at first glance. Corn stubble, patches of dirt, and the gentle contours of the landscape. Yet hidden among the soil were artifacts left behind by people who lived, worked, hunted, loved, struggled, and dreamed centuries before any of us arrived.

As I walked, my eyes scanned the ground for signs of the past. Eventually, I found what I was hoping for: fragments of worked stone, pieces of pottery that had not been touched by human hands for generations. Holding one of those artifacts is a remarkable experience. The last person to use it may have lived a thousand years ago. Their language is gone. Their home is gone. Their names are lost to history. Yet something remains because they lived.

It made me wonder about the artifacts we leave behind.

Not the physical objects stored in attics, garages, or safety deposit boxes. Most of those will eventually be discarded, donated, or forgotten. I am talking about the traces of our lives that remain because we were here.

What artifacts do we leave behind in a day? A week? A year? A lifetime?

A kind word offered to someone having a difficult day becomes an artifact. A lesson taught to a child becomes an artifact. A decision that changes the trajectory of a business becomes an artifact. A friendship maintained over decades becomes an artifact. The encouragement we provide, the opportunities we create, the standards we establish, and the examples we set all leave evidence of our existence.

We often think legacy is something that arrives at the end of life. In reality we are creating it every day. Every interaction leaves a mark. Every choice plants a seed. Every conversation shapes someone else's experience in ways we may never get to see ourselves.

The greatest leaders I ever worked with never left a physical artifact, but they certainly had an impact of me.  Most of the time was how they stepped into the moment and provided direction, a decision, a question, or maybe even paused or stopped something from occurring.  How they used their experience, position, and power to affect those around them – a person, the team, a business unit, or the enterprise. 

The same is true in our personal lives. Most of us can remember a teacher, coach, parent, friend, or mentor whose words altered the course of our lives. They may not even remember the conversation. Yet we carry it with us years later. Their artifact lives on.

This perspective changed how I think about success.

Many of us spend enormous energy accumulating things while paying less attention to what will actually endure. The promotion, title, or possession that seems important today may eventually disappear. But the impact we have on other people can continue long after we are gone.

A thousand years from now, nobody will know what vehicle we drove, how many emails we answered, or how many meetings we attended. Yet the values we passed on, the people we developed, the family we nurtured, and the lives in our community that we improved may continue through generations we will never meet.

The essential question to think through is “what remains because we lived?”

The answer lies not in what we owned, but what we influenced and how we used the gift of life.

Every day offers an opportunity to leave behind artifacts worth finding. We can create moments of kindness instead of indifference. We can build organizations that help humans flourish. We can invest in relationships in addition to our professional pursuits. We can choose significance over busyness and contribution over convenience.

One day, all of us will leave this life.  No matter where we are at this moment, it’s worth stepping back and asking the question, “at the end of our life, what really matters?”

When that time comes, may the artifacts of our lives tell a story of generosity, courage, wisdom, and love. And may those who come after us be grateful that we were here.

Tony Thelen is the founder of The River Coaching and Consulting, LLC, an executive coaching firm based in West Okoboji. He is the author of "Am I Doing This Right?" and "Things We Desire." He works with CEOs, business owners, executives to remove pain, anxiety, and fear while making room for true personal and professional growth. Contact Tony at [email protected] or learn more at www.therivercoach.org.