Today’s dot was written by Dalyce Leslie from Minot State University
I listened to the Hamilton soundtrack for at least an hour every day for the entirety of my sophomore year of high school. To this day, it is still one of my favorite musicals, and I relisten to it often. You could say it had a bit of an impact on me. Towards the end, there is one line that still gives me chills every single time I hear it.
“What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.”
This line comes from Alexander when he is facing death, and it causes him to take pause and question all the things he had done throughout his life, most of which were done in service of his country and the public.
I think what is so powerful about this one line is how it encourages all of us to step back and think about what we are doing right now to leave an impact. Who are we helping? What change are we inspiring? What seeds are we planting? How can our actions today lead to a better future for the generations that come after us? When we are consistently checking in with ourselves, we are making sure that the work we are producing aligns with the goals we have set.
This is important because we may never get to see the end result of the work we do. A kindergarten teacher will likely never get to meet most of their students as adults. An electrician typically won’t see more than the studs of a house they are wiring. Being a good leader means you do your small part to help a larger project, in hopes that one day, it will have a major impact on someone else.
So, what seeds will you plant?
What legacy will you leave?
Source: “The World Was Wide Enough” from Hamilton: An American Musical by Lin Manuel-Miranda, Atlantic Records, 2015.
