Over the years, I have noticed something interesting about the stages of life.
For most people, the first half of adulthood is spent climbing a mountain. You work hard, build a career, raise a family, and steadily move toward the goal of financial independence. It often takes thirty or forty years of consistent effort to reach that point.
But what happens when you get there?
Our culture tends to offer a fairly simple answer. Once you reach the summit, it’s time to step aside. Move to the sidelines. Relax. Let the next generation take the field.
But recently I have been wondering if that picture might be incomplete. What if the goal isn’t stepping off the field? What if the opportunity is staying on the field? Not necessarily doing the same things you’ve always done. Not grinding in the same way you did earlier in life. But remaining actively engaged with the people and relationships that matter most.
The Sidelines or the Field?
For many years, I assumed the traditional path made sense. Work hard. Build enough. Provide well for your family. And someday pass along whatever remains as an inheritance. That’s the model many families follow.
But as Nicole and I have watched our own children grow up, marry, and begin raising families of their own, we’ve realized something important. The season after financial independence may actually be one of the most influential seasons of life. Not because of what we eventually leave behind. But because of what we can still put in motion.
Legacy: What You Leave Behind vs. What You Put in Motion
Most people define legacy as what you leave behind. But I recently came across a definition from David Green, the Founder of Hobby Lobby, that I find much more helpful. Legacy is what you put in motion.
That simple idea changes how we think about this stage of life. If legacy is only what we leave behind, then the focus tends to be on money, assets, and inheritance. But if legacy is what we put in motion, the focus shifts toward people. Faith. Character. Responsibility. Work ethic. Relationships.
Those are the things that determine whether wealth becomes a blessing or a burden in the next generation. Money matters. It’s an important tool. But money by itself doesn’t build strong families. Strong people build strong families.
Strengthening vs. Weakening
One of the patterns we have seen over the years is that wealth can sometimes unintentionally weaken the people it was meant to help. When resources are given without responsibility, or when entitlement becomes attached to affluence, wealth can quietly become a curse instead of a blessing.
That realization has caused Nicole and me to ask a different question. Instead of asking how much we might someday pass on, we’ve started asking: How can we help strengthen the next generation while we’re still here?
Because anything that ultimately weakens our children—even if it looks generous in the moment—doesn’t serve them well in the long run. Our goal isn’t to remove every weight from their shoulders. Our goal is to help them become strong enough to carry responsibility well.
Shoulder to Shoulder
This is where the idea of staying on the field becomes exciting. Rather than stepping away entirely, there may be opportunities to walk shoulder to shoulder with the next generation as they build their own lives.
Sometimes that happens through shared work or business. Sometimes through mentoring and discipleship. Sometimes through grandparenting and investing in young families. Often it simply happens through proximity and time together. Every family will experience this differently.
But when generations walk together, something powerful happens. The younger generation often brings energy, creativity, and a willingness to take risks. The older generation brings perspective, wisdom, and experience. Together, those strengths can complement one another in ways that benefit everyone.
A Question Worth Asking
So, wherever you find yourself today—whether you are still climbing the mountain, approaching the summit, or several years into retirement—I would encourage you to consider a simple question: What might it look like for you to stay on the field?
What opportunities exist in this season of life to strengthen the people around you?
What might you be able to put in motion today that could bless your family for generations to come?
Those answers will look different for every family. But one thing I am becoming increasingly convinced of is this: Some of the most meaningful work we will ever do may come after the summit.
And that’s an exciting thought.