Leaving a Legacy

I often say that part of my mission is to help leaders leave a lasting legacy without sacrificing their health or their families.

That mission is deeply personal to me.

My ministry journey started early. My family moved to Haiti when I was 10 years old, and I grew up around leaders who were pouring their lives into the mission God had called them to.

When I was 15, my family started a nonprofit. As a young adult, I spent more than 10 years helping my parents lead and grow that organization.

My dad and I were really good at building teams. We created a sustainable funding system for the organization, recruited people around a shared vision, and continued to grow and expand.

But as the organization grew, so did the responsibility.

Eventually, the burden became more than we knew how to carry.

We had more than 300 employees, over 100 volunteers, and thousands of children being fed and educated every day.

We were creating a legacy, but we were doing it at the expense of our health.

And eventually, I realized I wasn’t showing up for my own family in the way I wanted to.

I found myself torn between serving thousands of children who relied on us to eat every day and being present for my wife and children.

Somewhere along the way, I had convinced myself that investing in 3,000 outweighed investing in five.

I don’t believe that anymore.

Since then, I’ve learned that there is a way to leave a lasting legacy and make a difference in the world without sacrificing your health or your family to do it.

In fact, I’ve learned almost the opposite.

Taking care of yourself increases your capacity to care for others. When your body is healthy, your mind is clear, and your spiritual life is grounded, you have more to give—not less.

You lead differently.

You make better decisions.

You become more present with the people who matter.

And you begin building a legacy that is sustainable rather than one that depends on your exhaustion.

If you’re stuck in the kind of cycle I was in, you don’t have to completely overhaul your life tomorrow. Some of the practices that helped me most started incredibly small.

Here are three things you can begin doing today.

1. Take a 10-Minute Walk Every Day

Movement is an important part of caring for yourself, and it doesn’t have to be complicated. Start with 10 minutes.

If you can, leave your phone behind. Don’t listen to music or fill the time with another podcast, audiobook, or phone call.

I like to think of these as meditative walks.

Just walk and let your mind wander. Pay attention to whatever comes up without feeling the need to judge it, fix it, or immediately do something about it.

You may be surprised by what happens when you give your mind a little room to breathe.

The walk gets your body moving, but it also creates space for greater mental clarity.

2. Learn to Let Go of Phone Dependence

For many leaders, we are far too tied to our phones.

Calls. Emails. Text messages. Social media. Calendars. Emergencies.

So much of our professional lives is tied to this little device in our pocket. Our personal lives are there too. It has become one of the primary ways we stay connected to the world.

And for many of us, that connection has become dependence.

Our phones can rob us of our ability to be still.

When I first started becoming intentional about my own health and wellness, I struggled to be away from my phone. Somewhere in my mind was the belief that something catastrophic might happen and I wouldn't be available to handle it.

So I started small.

I would put my phone on the other side of the room for five minutes.

That was it.

Over time, those five minutes became longer periods. The practice helped me create healthier boundaries, but it also showed me just how dependent I had become on being constantly available.

You don't have to throw your phone away or disconnect from everyone. Just start practicing being unavailable for a few minutes.

The world will probably keep turning.

3. Build a Morning Routine

The way we start our day affects much of what comes after it.

Today, the first hour or two of my morning is fairly structured. I have built a routine that helps keep me healthy and grounded before I begin working.

I intentionally make space for my physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Some of the practices I incorporate include prayer, Bible reading, gratitude journaling, and other simple forms of self-care.

By the time I begin working, I am much more grounded, energized, and prepared to approach the day with clarity.

But don't read that and decide you need to build a two-hour morning routine tomorrow.

Start with two or three minutes.

Choose one practice.

Read a few verses. Write down three things you're grateful for. Sit quietly and pray. Stretch. Drink a glass of water before checking your phone.

Then build from there.

The Legacy You’re Building

Legacy isn't just about how many people you serve, how large your organization becomes, or how much you accomplish.

It's also about who you become while you're building it.

I still believe deeply in sacrifice. I believe there are seasons when leadership requires us to carry more, work longer, and give deeply of ourselves.

But sacrifice cannot become our permanent operating system.

If the legacy we build for thousands requires us to continually sacrifice our health and the people closest to us, we need to ask whether that is really the legacy we intended to leave.

You don't have to change everything today.

Take the walk.

Put the phone down for five minutes.

Build one healthy practice into tomorrow morning.

Small changes, repeated consistently, can begin changing the way you lead and the way you live.

Because the goal isn't simply to leave a legacy.

It's to be healthy enough to live it.

Lead well. Live whole. Leave a legacy.