On Wednesday, I was deep into a coaching call when one of my all-time favorite tools made an appearance.
The client was in the middle of some hard, self-inflicted lessons—and to his credit, he was committed to learning from them. He didn’t want to just move on; he wanted to extract every ounce of wisdom so the same mistakes didn’t happen again.
As a coach, my superpower is engineering perspective—helping clients see their experiences through a lens that unlocks the hidden power inside their heads and hearts. This is a superpower I have invested years into honing. Legacy Lessons is one of the sharpest tools in that skill set. It ranks near the top for its ability to awaken purpose in the pain.
I asked him, “What have you learned from this? What are the life lessons you can take away to make you better and smarter?”
He started rattling them off. One by one. Each one deeper than the last.
Then I said:
“Now imagine turning this into a document—call it The Lessons of Legacy. Something you could give your kids when they hit major milestones. Marriage. Their first child. Imagine handing them a living letter that outlines the wisdom life has taught you—so they can live better from your lessons.”
He lit up like a Christmas tree.
That’s the power of engineered perspective. When we take time to create meaning from our struggles, we transform pain into purpose. Our struggles become strength. We give our future—and the people we love—a gift.
And that’s what legacy really is: leaving behind not just what you built, but what you learned. So here’s my challenge to you—create your own document. At the top, write:
“What are the lessons life has taught me that I want to pass down to those I love?”
As my friend and client Scott Malouff says, “Legacies aren’t what you leave for people—they’re what you leave in them.”
So build yours. Capture the wisdom. Make it real. And let it live on in the hearts of those who matter most.
live freed,
Jordan
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