Negotiation #2: Negotiate Your Legacy

Why Legacy Matters at Every Stage

When some people hear the word legacy, their first thought is, I’m too young for that conversation. But the truth is, legacy is not about age—it’s about intention.

Our lives are finite. This journey ends. That fact isn’t meant to be morbid; it’s meant to be clarifying. If we know the story ends, we can choose to be intentional about how we want it to unfold. Legacy doesn’t happen by chance—it is shaped by the choices we make today.

Negotiating your legacy means taking ownership of the story you’re writing now and deciding what you want to be remembered for.

Five Steps to Negotiating Your Legacy

1. Look Back with Gratitude

Before you think about the future, pause and ask: How did I get here?

Acknowledge the good you’ve done, the challenges you’ve overcome, and the milestones you’ve achieved—from choosing medicine as a teenager to surviving medical school, residency, fellowship, and beyond. Recognize the improbability of your journey and the people, resources, and opportunities that helped along the way. Gratitude for the past grounds you as you plan the future.

2. Meet Your Future Self

Travel forward in time. Picture yourself 30, 40, or 50 years from now. Ask your future self: What are you most proud of?

This exercise clarifies what really matters. Rarely do people wish they had written one more paper or submitted one more grant. Instead, regrets often center on missed time with family, neglected passions, or unfulfilled relationships. By regularly “checking in” with your future self, you can realign your current choices with your deeper values.

3. Recognize the Skills You’re Equipped to Share

Over the years, you’ve developed remarkable skills—as a clinician, scientist, mentor, leader, or communicator. Which of these are you most excited to invest in others? Which skills will ripple forward because you shared them generously?

Your legacy will be shaped not only by what you accomplish but by what you enable others to accomplish.

4. Identify Who You’re Available to Help

Legacy is also about people. Who is within your reach right now—your children, mentees, colleagues, students, or residents? You don’t need to look far. Often, those already around you are the very people who will benefit most from your investment.

5. Start Today

Don’t wait for a future milestone to begin building your legacy. You don’t need to defer until retirement to start giving back. Ask: What can I do today, in a small way, to live my legacy? Each conversation, each act of mentorship, and each investment in others adds up.

Legacy Is Built, Not Found

Negotiating your legacy means living with clarity and purpose now—not later. By looking back with gratitude, imagining your future self, identifying your skills, investing in people, and starting today, you ensure that your story won’t be left to chance.

What’s Next: Negotiating Your Health

Legacy is long-term. But to live it out, you must also prioritize the present. In the next post, we’ll explore the third negotiation: your health. Because without it, all other negotiations are at risk.

Reflection Questions

• When you look back, what milestones and challenges are you most grateful for?

• What would your future self want you to prioritize today?

• Which skills are you most eager to invest in others?

• Who around you could benefit most from your mentorship or support right now?

• What’s one small action you can take this week to begin building your legacy?