A few weeks ago, I received a message from someone I used to manage.

It wasn't expected. They simply wanted to thank me for the encouragement and support I'd given them at a point in their career when they needed it, and how it impacts them today. 

It was so touching and I must say I read this message several times. 

Not because I thought I had done anything extraordinary, but because it also made me think that we rarely know which moments matter to someone else. A conversation we barely remember can become a turning point in another person's story. We often assume our biggest achievements are the projects we deliver or the goals we reach. But perhaps they're the people we help along the way.

A few words of encouragement, a little patience, believing in someone before they believe in themselves – those are seeds. We plant them, we move on, and years later we discover they've grown into something much bigger than we imagined.

As a manager, it can be about helping someone grow, even if they eventually build their career somewhere else. As a colleague, it can be about sharing knowledge without expecting recognition. As a neighbour, it can be about improving a community you'll one day leave behind. And as a mother, this idea resonates even more deeply.

The same is true for teachers, mentors, volunteers, nurses, and countless others whose work quietly shapes the future. Their impact is rarely measured in headlines or quarterly reports. Instead, it lives on in people, places, and possibilities.

We live in a world that celebrates immediate results. We count followers, likes, promotions, and milestones. Yet the most meaningful things often grow slowly. Trust. Confidence. Character. Communities.

Perhaps success isn't only about what we achieve during our own lifetime. Perhaps it's also about what continues because we were here.

Sometimes years pass before we realise that a kind word, an opportunity, or simply believing in someone made all the difference.

That's a comforting thought. Because it means that every day offers us the chance to plant something – a little confidence, a little knowledge, a little kindness – that may one day grow into something far greater than we ever imagined.

And maybe that's one of the most meaningful legacies any of us can leave.