The opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympics is only hours away. Those on the planning committee have been preparing the host city of London over the past four years. If you have read or seen interviews of those in charge you get the sense that the city is ready – ready to host the world.

We will be treated to a magnificent display of talent and pageantry. While watching the extravaganza we may fail to appreciate all the hard work that led up to this moment. The performers want you to enjoy their efforts without analyzing or adding up the hours spent by the performers. However, they know and we know their proficiency was developed and executed over time.

After the opening ceremonies we eagerly await the competitions. We will cheer for our home athletes and we will marvel at their skill. We will be treated to many stories that will trace the journey of these athletes and their families. A common theme that will emerge is that many, many hours of practice and preparation were necessary to give these athletes the opportunity to compete for the gold medal. Parents and families sacrificed much to assist their athletes in their quest for gold. No doubt we too will shed some tears of joy when our athletes successfully achieve the medal for which they dreamed. They and their families may never be able to fully express their feelings while standing on that podium. All they might be able to appreciate, as they gaze out from the podium, is that the journey is worth it. They will not feel the need to explain to us how difficult the journey was or how many times they fell, or almost failed. They will just want us to enjoy this success with them.

The legacy planning the Stewardship Foundation invites you to explore parallels the Olympic journey of those hosting the events and the athletes competing in them. Legacy planning requires that you plan for future success and the “gold” you wish to leave your family and the charitable causes you support. The decisions you make now, and the plans you implement, can have a positive affect those important to you. And like the gold medal athlete basking on the podium, you too can rejoice in the fruit of your legacy that you started today. You will not have to explain the sacrifices you made to your family or the benefitting charity; you will rejoice knowing those you love and support will benefit from your gold medal foresight.

Contact the Stewardship Foundation to start your legacy today.