These insightful words from retired soccer legend Abby Wambach hit me during a recent episode of On Being:
“If somebody breaks my record, that means the game is better. That means the game is growing. That means other people are achieving greater, bigger heights than me. And that is the kind of legacy that I can actually wrap my mind around. You can’t find success unless you are willing to let it go when it’s over.”
We practice this sort of legacy-making every year in choirs: we find success, knowing full well that the students will graduate and move on at the end of the year.
Hold too tight to particular achievements and risk watching them spoil in your hands. But if you can honor the success, give it a fond farewell, and move on (and proudly watch your students move on), you can grow from the experience and really enjoy the success.