Building a Legacy
Whether you’ve been in business for one year or for decades, you are in the process of building a legacy—leaving the mark of your mission. This may be part of the reason you became an entrepreneur, because your impact would be that much greater, compounded exponentially by your studio.
But legacies aren’t just made from businesses. They’re made from family.
Last month, my son Mason bought my dad’s house. It was the house where I lived too, in the upstairs apartment during college.
It’s where I wrote my studio’s business plan, at the dining table upstairs.
I bonded with my dad there, helping him build the downstairs kitchen cabinets (among other projects!).
I lived there when I became a first-generation college graduate.
It’s where I received the studio’s first registration, left for me on the back porch. 🙂
I became Miss La Cross while living there.
I had my first pets in that house.
It’s where I brought home a ‘53 Buick Special, purchased with my first entrepreneurial earnings.
And… this is pretty special… Mitch proposed to me in that house. <3
During that chapter in my life, it was more than just a place to put my head at night. It was truly a home—a safe place to land—in that pivotal, busy season where changes were happening right and left. It became a place of wonderful, important memories.
Now it’s a Northside legacy! It’s the house where Mason is launching his independent, young adult life. As I stood in the kitchen a few weeks ago, paintbrush in hand, I felt so much pride for him (and of course, so much nostalgia for the house). My heart was full.
Much like the studio is part of my legacy, this house is too. It’s the place where I began building big dreams. And I hope Mason will do the same.
So, my encouragement to you today is this: Remember that, every day, you are adding onto these legacies in your life. You may not even realize it’s happening! I didn’t know that my dad’s house would become my home too, and then eventually my son’s. But now it’s pretty cool to see how all of our decisions and directions influenced each other.
Inside that house recently, I felt awash in memories, gratitude, and pride. Now I can’t wait to see how Mason builds on the legacy from here.
I hope you’ll take the time to think about the legacies you’ve been a part of, and the ones that are a work in progress for you now. It’s life-affirming to realize your impact—and even more so to see the impact of those you’ve linked arms with. For me, I feel this as God’s work. Every step (even every pivot turn!) is meaningful because it’s part of the bigger ripple effect.
Love,
Misty
