Discover your compelling why to create a legacy

For years, I couldn’t understand why I ended up in child care. That mystery was finally solved when the penny dropped: this was a calling. One of my advisory is Tom Mould AO, who is the current Australian Chairman of  Duke of Edinburgh Awards Australia, and is also the chairman of my advisory board for my Think2Be Anything You Want2Be Group and an independent member trustee of the Think2Be Foundation, my charitable foundation. Tom is a wise and experienced school teacher-turned-entrepreneur. At a recent event, I watched as a steady stream of people approached him, each eager to shake his hand, embrace him and share how profoundly his teachings had shaped their childhoods and what a huge influence he had been on them. As I watched all this unfold, I realised the remarkable influence that teachers have on a child and it opened my eyes to the fact that teaching was the most noble of professions.

This deep respect from former students and the way he inspired others taught me the true value of learning and teaching. I can now look back on my life and join the dots to see how I came to be where I am today. I started my professional life as a junior lawyer, which led to property development, which led to owning and operating 14 childcare centres as tenants in my commercial properties, which led to me employed over 400 childcare educators, which led to the creation of a foundation, a community dedicated to teacher the art of mindfulness to the next generation of children.

Looking back, I can see that my circuitous route from becoming a junior lawyer to running multiple businesses was the pathway I need to take to get me where I am today and to where my life’s purpose can be redeemed. Just as mindfulness had been my lifeline as a troubled young boy, I hope to share the power that it gave me with a new generation of children. I would like them, too, to benefit from it, as I did, so they can reach their full potential.

I can now see that this pathway was the one I needed to take. Law and business were just the pathways I took to reach it. I came to realise my role in child care was not just about running a business – it was about influencing young minds in a way that had never been done before. It took me 35 years of being in child care to come to realise that it was my calling.

As I step into the next phase of life(I plan to live to at least 105!), my focus is on one of the most crucial areas of society: early childhood education. Research show that the years from birth to age six are the most formative in a person’s life. This is where the seeds of true, lasting change must be planted.

 The world today is vastly different from the one I grew up in. Modern teenagers face an overwhelming storm of stressors: social media, academic pressure, economic uncertainty, climate change, political division and rapid technological advancements. Anxiety, depression and burnout among young people are at record highs.

We are on the bring of a loneliness epidemic that could impact an entire generation in ways we can’t yet comprehend. We cannot afford to ignore this. Mindfulness isn’t a luxury – it’s an essential skill for navigating the complex and uncertain world we live in. It’s time we embed it into eduction and equip the next generation with tools they need to thrive, not just survive.

This is my mission. This is the legacy I want to leave behind.

The takeaway: Your ‘why’ isn’t always clear at the start. But when it reveals itself, everything aligns. What once felt random becomes purposeful. Legacy isn’t built through chance – it’s created by following the breadcrumbs of your life’s path and owning your calling. When your experience, talents and values converge into a mission greater than yourself, you don’t just find success, you find significance.

Written by Hilton Misso. Have you read?
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