As a sportsman, citizen, husband, parent, friend, what will be your legacy? For older Sportsmen, we have already fulfilled much of ours. For newer Sports, you can plan for yours.
Sometimes it takes a near death experience to understand or facilitate positive change. The recent assassination attempt on President Trump is certainly an example of this type of trauma. He must be thinking about his legacy and luck. A few inches separated him from hanging around to make positive change or being a dead martyr. Our country and the world are fortunate for what will come next. What an unselfish opportunity he has, to build an incredible Legacy. You may not like him, but you must admire his strength. Give him a chance to really Make America Great Again for everyone.
Nothing lasts forever. Leave a legacy worth sharing and it will stay with everyone that you touched in life. The idea of Legacy becomes more obvious and important with age. This is why fishing, hunting, and outdoor sports are so powerful. The lessons learned are about limits, rules, honesty, sharing, presentation, skills, and sharing.
What is your legacy as an outdoorsman? At some point, our hunting and fishing opportunities will become more limited. Aging is not a friend to hunters and fishermen. Thankfully, a lifetime of experience will help us adapt. Even with this edge, at some point we will no longer hunt or fish.
How will you be remembered? Did you hunt and fish alone? Were you an adult leader in a youth organization? Did you teach Hunter safety or other classes? As a father, did you take family and friends afield? Were you an ethical sportsman?
Did you share the sport with others? Some sports are loners and become secretive about their places, tricks, and tips. Not sharing this knowledge goes to their graves. Others enjoy sharing, showing, and seeing others become successful.
What was the purpose of your sport? Did you just want antlers on the wall? Was a full freezer the priority, or did you enjoy being afield with buddies and friends? The best way to master a skill is to show others how to do it.
Our real limits, in our sporting lives, are not what we harvest but the time we spend and share. None of us ever get to do our sports enough. The memories, experiences, stories, and shared adventures are what will outlive us. When the next generations are still talking about what you did, harvested, or taught them, your legacy will be revealed. There are no limits for how much joy we can have.
As sportsmen we evolve. As a fisherman, you want to first learn to catch a fish, any fish, any size, anywhere. Second, you want to catch a lot of fish. Third you want to catch a BIG fish. Next you want to catch a specific fish. Finally, your legacy becomes showing others how to fish. This analogy is true for hunting and other outdoor sports.
The next time you get angry, mad, crazy, or dishonest, consider your options. Do you want to be remembered as a bully, crook, murderer, idiot, or simply a loser. We all have a choice when we make important decisions. Use your platform to help others not tear them down. Leave a Legacy worth sharing.
As an educator and writer, I am proud to share and show others the gateway to outdoor happiness. BE YOUR BEST!
Montana Grant
