Did you know who Ingemar Johansson was?

I didn’t. I first learned about him after my colleague left one of those tear-away, desk-calendar trivia questions tucked halfway under my keyboard.

Aside from being an answer to a trivia question, it turns out Johansson had quite the impressive resume. He was a boxer from Sweden who was once a world heavyweight champ from 1959 to 1960. He beat Floyd Patterson to earn his title. He would later lose in a rematch to Patterson, making Patterson the first champ to regain his title. Johansson would lose the grudge match against Patterson too, eventually retiring from boxing a few years later at the age of 30.

Johansson reached the pinnacle of his profession on a world stage. He was 26-2 as a pro fighter and won a Silver Medal at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki. He is a celebrated sports icon in Sweden who had a bronze statue of him unveiled in Gothenburg in 2011, two years after he passed away.

As a famous athlete, Johansson left a large, bronze footprint behind.

What struck me about this random trivia question was not his achievements, but rather the void he left behind. For as many people as he likely impacted and entertained, there are countless more – like me – who never heard of him.

That made me think of my own mortality. And my own legacy.

See, I’ve always had this desire to be something more than an average Joe. I wanted to make my mark in a way that the world would know I existed. Maybe that sounds strange, but I don’t think I’m alone in that way of thinking.

In this moment of reflection, I realized it doesn’t matter whether you’re a famous public figure or only possess a small network of family and friends. Your legacy is ultimately determined by the impact you have on the people in your life.

We can’t all be world champs, but we can strive to be the world to those around us.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Whatever you are, be a good one.”

It doesn’t matter if you’re a sports icon, a rock star, a plumber or a hairdresser, dig in your heels and fortify your footprint.

Whether you are a mother or father, son or daughter, brother or sister, a friend, a teammate, a neighbor or a colleague, be a good one.

Be the person you expect others to be for you. Bring a positive energy into everything you do and that energy will be reflected back upon you.

In the end, people will remember your achievements and successes, but what they’ll miss is how you made them feel. Life isn’t about how many people show up at your funeral, it’s about how many people truly keep you in their hearts, thoughts and memories after you’re gone.

We can never be sure how we’ve impacted those in our daily life, and we don’t know when our time is up. It’s really hard to foresee what we’ll leave behind, so live each day to the fullest and leave a legacy within your footprint. Make your mark in your own unique way, because it’s not the size of your footprint, it’s the size of the impression you leave on those around you that matters.