Last week I turned 44 and in a moment of introspection I realized this is the middle of my life (if I am lucky). Coincidently, I attended a charity function that featured a video about Al Taubman and his meaning to Metro Detroit and the Jewish community. With at least half of my life in the rearview mirror, I have been thinking a lot about legacy and how I can make an impact on the world that my children and their children will feel in the times ahead. While most of us will never live out the legacy of Al Taubman, we can still make a meaningful mark in our family, community and the world as a whole if we live a life focused on leaving the world better than how we found it.
I find that having role models can help to guide us down the path that leaves a clean wake even when it is not the easy thing to do. Bobby Taubman, Al’s son, is a man who emulates living out the legacy of his father and even taking it to the next level. Taubman is the CEO of Taubman Company one of the most successful real estate companies in the world, and he is growing them across the globe. Day in and day out he is a member of an elite class of real estate professionals. Taubman has a tireless work ethic, he is a committed member on countless boards, a world renowned philanthropist, yet he still remembers the things that matter most.
Bobby somehow makes the time to take his kids to school, and to support his wife and family through thick and thin. He also makes it a point to be there for his friends and the community as a whole, and if I failed to mention it, he is one heck of a crack shot with a shotgun. One might ask, when does this guy sleep? Having known Bobby for years, I am relatively certain that the answer is “not much.”
Having witnessed both of these legends in action, I find that I do not hit the snooze button too often in my life. They inspire me to build companies that develop powerful cultures that create jobs, maximize potential and are on the path to becoming something memorable. Legends like the Taubmans inspire me to give more of my income to charity, to be there for the Jewish Community in a way that makes me proud. They inspire me to take my boys to school, to be there for the flag football games and to make sure that we are having fun in the process. While building companies can be demanding, stressful, and at times thankless, I wouldn’t have it any other way. As Bobby and Al show us, it does not stop there if you desire to build a true life legacy. No legacy can be of the highest meaning if it does not include family and community.
This year, it is my 44th birthday wish that when I blow the candles out next year I will have made significant strides towards my life legacy.
