What is ‘Lasting Legacy,’ Alex?
Every week, I keep my eyes and ears open for “Wednesday Wisdom Worthy” posts. When I read about the passing of Jeopardy’s host Alex Trebek, I knew he’d be this week’s featured story.
For those of you not familiar with him (although I don’t know how that could be possible!), Trebek made history in 2014 by hosting his 6,829th "Jeopardy!" episode—the most by a presenter of any single TV game show. Then he went on to host for six more years. Trebek spent 35 years on Jeopardy! and won five Daytime Emmy Awards for his dedication. Last year, Trebek went public with his stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis. He claimed that he was going to fight the good fight, and that he was committed to working for as long as he could. And that’s exactly what he did. Post quarantine, he and his crew started filming again mid-summer. His last show was shot two weeks before his passing. The final episode will air the week of Christmas and Trebek will share his heart-warming farewell speech.
I could highlight Alex Trebek for many reasons. But most importantly, he was a man who symbolized loyalty, passion and dedication to his work. While many people are in the countdown to get to retirement, Trebek saw no reason to stop working. Even while undergoing aggressive cancer treatment and turning 80 years old this year, he kept working because the show and the contestants made him so happy. As he stated in an interview: “I'm just enjoying what I'm doing, I'm happy to have a job. I like the show, I like the contestants and it pays well." On the news this week, one of his producers was in tears, and shared that even during the filming of the last show, “Alex seemed like he was still at the top of his game.”
Imagine if you could have a life well-lived, a job you love, and a lasting impact on others? If this description sounds like you, bravo! And if not, what needs to shift to get you closer to this ideal work/job/career scenario? In response to the life and story of Alex Trebek, I’ll leave you with this final thought, framed in the form of a question: What is A Lasting Legacy?
