The Obituary That Changed a Legacy

Today’s Theme

How do you think it might feel to read your own obituary right now?

Would you be proud of the life it described or would it jolt you into changing course?

Legend has it that this exact scenario happened to Alfred Nobel. And it gave him a chance that most people never get: An opportunity to rewrite his story and legacy.

The Merchant of Death

In 1888, Alfred Nobel woke up to a disturbing surprise: His own obituary was published in a French newspaper.

The headline read: “The merchant of death is dead.”

The article criticized him for building his fortune on explosives and weaponry. To the outside world, that’s what he became associated with and defined by.

Reading those words hit Nobel like a punch to the gut, but it also forced him to answer a difficult question: Is this the legacy I want to leave behind?

He realized something most of us don’t until it’s too late, which is that we are not defined by our intentions, but rather our actions.

And in that moment, he decided to shift course. He left behind a fortune, not to fuel destruction, but to reward human progress and philanthropy. The Nobel Prizes were born and so was a new legacy.

He didn’t just change his legacy. He rewrote it.

Purpose is the Compass, Legacy is the Trail

We all have our own version of these moments (albeit hopefully not as intense or as much of a gut-check as Nobel).

Moments that whisper: “This isn’t who I want to be.”

When you feel disconnected from your purpose, it’s easy to lose your way. In these situations, we’d benefit from reminding ourselves a simple truth: The difficulty of our journey is directly proportional to the size of our purpose.

The greater your purpose, the more opportunities you may encounter that stretch you beyond your comfort zone and challenge you to make sacrifices.

In order to ensure that you are living in alignment with that purpose, it can be helpful to define the legacy you hope to leave behind.

Most people assume a legacy is something created at the end of one’s career or life. Instead, legacy is the result of what we do in the middle of our lives.

Our legacy is shaped by the choices we make, the values we live out, and the impact we have on others.

Nobel had success. But his life wasn’t aligned with his purpose. And that misalignment was creating a legacy he never intended.

When you reconnect to your why, something shifts.
You remember what matters most. You live with greater intention.

And over time, those consistent purpose-aligned actions begin to sculpt the reputation and impact you leave behind.

Your purpose is the internal compass. Your legacy is the external story it shapes and the trail you leave behind.

Creating Your Retirement Speech

As a coach, you can spark this reflection in your players by helping them zoom out and think long-term:

Ask them to write their “Retirement Speech.”

Not the one filled with stats or awards, but rather what story do they want others to tell.

The one where their teammates, coaches, family, and competitors stand up and talk about who they were—how they showed up, what they stood for, and what kind of impact they made.

Here are a few questions you can offer to guide that reflection:

• What do you want your teammates to say about you?

• What would you like a coach from an opposing team to say about you?

• What do you hope your siblings or kids learn from watching you play?

• What do you want to be remembered for when your career is over?

This reflection helps players define their intended legacy and, more importantly, the purpose that needs to guide them in order to live that out.

Purpose doesn’t just inspire. It aligns. It gives every rep, every role, every hard moment a sense of direction.

And when a player lives in alignment with that purpose, their legacy becomes something they don’t have to chase.

They simply live it, one intentional choice at a time.

Final Thoughts

Legacy isn’t just about what you’ve done. It’s about why you did it.

Inspiration for This Piece:

• Pink, D. H. (2022). The power of regret: How looking backward moves us forward. Penguin Audio.

The Threshold Lab Podcast:

In case you missed it, I recently launched a new podcast called The Threshold Lab — where I explore fundamental principles that help high performers think, lead, and live at the highest level.

This past week’s most downloaded episode was “Stuck Circling” where I share a comical metaphor from observing my four dogs and how human beings get stuck “circling” patterns that sabotage progress.

If you haven’t checked it out yet, I’d love for you to give it a listen and share if anything resonates for you!