How do you want to be remembered?  What is your legacy? What contributions can you make to better other peoples’ lives?  Over the last year, we have witnessed a divided country. We often think that divisiveness is just among political parties. It is much more.  There has become a type of distinction between two other groups, builders vs. destroyers.

What has caused this divisiveness?  The builders are the ones who were probably optimists before the pandemic and their caring and constructive attitude is part of their set of beliefs and values.  That optimism kept them going through the pandemic and they probably used that time to continue to build in different ways.  They are the ones whose purpose in life is to do good and help others. They build others and reap the benefits of happiness, joy, and hope.

What about the destroyers?  Have they always thrived on negativity and destruction? Are they angry because the pandemic took away their routines and their liberties?  Are they driven by power and control, and destruction is a much easier way to control than to take the time to build?

They may think they can do things better, and they destroy what is there so they can rebuild the way they want.  Instead, what happens is that they realize they can’t do it better so give up after they have spun their damage.  All of us have probably known individuals that thrive on having everything new, including people.  They may take a position and want to replace everyone they supervise.  Oftentimes when it is too late, they realize they have created a brain drain and the new people they projected would be the answer to the new empire may not deliver.

Think about these builders and the positive impact they make in the lives of others:

**Jack spent many of his years building homes that would be enjoyed by many; homes where families were created, homes that contained many memories, and homes where inside them found shared happiness and sadness.

**Elizabeth built an organization from the ground up, an organization for individuals with a specific medical diagnosis. In the process, she saved the lives of many.

**Clarise made a point to send birthday cards to all the people she knew who were retired. She built many connections and built friendships that sustained many individuals who were lonely and needed to receive a card. They knew they mattered to Clarise.

**Monte always has a kind word to say about everyone.  He made people feel good when they had a rough day.  He gave them strength and built with his words.

**Barbara created a positive, accepting classroom for students who had special needs and organized a work program for them.  Her students looked forward to coming to school every day and Barbara built relationships that lasted long after the students graduated from high school.

And the list goes on of those people who spend their lives either in little ways or big ways building.  They give to others and in return, they have a sense of accomplishment for all they do for others.  At the end of the day, they can look back and feel good about what they have done. They have power and control in a positive way.

Now think about these individuals who are destroyers:

**A group of three officers who just got tired of being in an organization failed to pass on records and destroyed a website. They did not turn over the organization’s money for over four months.

**An individual serving on an influential committee announced that she wanted no diversity of members and would not accept any individuals on the committee who were promoting diversity.

**A committee responsible for monitoring the employment of an individual terminated the individual with no notice and no reason.

**A group leader announced that the newer members could perform tasks better as opposed to the people who had been around a long time and who had persevered and understood why tasks were done the way they were.

**A new school administrator came into the school and said he wanted to start afresh and destroyed records from previous staff and released many of the staff that had been there previously.

These individuals not only can destroy structures but people’s feelings of self-worth as well. They can ruin membership in a group.  They alienate and hurt others. Kindness escapes them, but they feel this sense of power from their destruction. At the end of the day, they may experience a sense of revenge or power and control, but do they have a sense of happiness and joy, like the builders? Instead, they are angry or unhappy and want to be spiteful to hurt others.  But within themselves their negative feelings fester, resulting in dissatisfaction and alienation from friends and colleagues.

If we are to make our organizational, social, and work environments a better place to be, 2023 is a good time to resolve to be a builder. We need to look within ourselves to analyze our behaviors. As we go through the day, we must consciously focus on our actions and ask ourselves whether each action builds or destroys. The world needs more builders and together we can instill hope and become known for making our world a better place to be.  Let’s leave behind a positive legacy.