The Last Banquet
Planting Trees You'll Never Sit Under
“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”
— Nelson Henderson
The Last Banquet
Chasing Influence: Transformational Coaching to Build Champions for Life
This weekend I have the joy of celebrating another high school baseball season—our team’s banquet is Sunday afternoon. It’s one of my favorite days of the year, not because of stats, standings, or awards, but because it reminds me why we do this work in the first place.
A banquet, like a legacy, is built over time—not from the scoreboard, but from the relationships formed along the way.
NASA astronaut and Navy SEAL Jonny Kim once said, “If I could talk to my younger self, I would just say that the path to great things is filled with a lot of stumbles, suffering, and challenges along the way. But if you have the right attitude and know that hard times will pass—and you get up each time—you will reach your destination.”
This wisdom hits home at the end of a long, successful season, and even more so when we step back and reflect on the seasons of life. Many cultures share a story like this:
You’re old now, worn and weathered, and life has given you one final gift—the chance to speak to your younger self. What would you say?
Every coach will have one last banquet. It probably won’t come with a lot of notice. But one day, the chairs will be filled, the room quiets, and you’ll be up front one last time. What do you hope that moment looks like?
Would you choose a banquet table stacked with trophies and medals? Or one where the most meaningful thing handed to you is a story—told by a player, a teammate, a friend—about how you changed their life?
That’s the question I’ve asked myself this week. And if you’re a leader, teacher, coach, or parent—it’s a question worth asking yourself, too.
When your final season wraps up, will people remember what you won? Or who you were?
Because in the end, the only people who truly know your story are the ones who helped you write it.
This Sunday, I’ll sit at another banquet—grateful, humbled, and better because I had the chance to coach great people.
“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.”
— Sharon Alder
Connecting this quote to the story. Our true legacy isn’t measured by accolades or trophies, but by the lasting impact we make on people’s lives and the meaningful stories they carry forward about who we were.
Chasing Influence tip: Focus on building people—trophies collect dust, stories last forever.
If you enjoyed this story, a series of three Chasing Influence workbooks is available. Stories are accompanied by discussion questions and answers. Each workbook contains 33 lessons to use with any team.
Updates on Chasing Influence
Chasing Influence: Transformational Coaching to Build Champions for Life is available in Kindle, softcover, hardcover, and audiobook editions.
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©Troy Urdahl, 2025