ONE of my closest friends, Josef Powell, a godson of my father, recently sent me an e-mail that included two very important lines for me: "The journey will always be challenging but at the end of it all should be worthwhile and fulfilling. After all, we all have a desire within us to contribute to something greater than ourselves."

In the year that Jamaica will celebrate 50 years as an independent country it seems that a number of people may be on the last lap of contribution to our development. It is quite possible that some members of the PNP, the JLP, persons in public service (including the health and education sectors), the private sector and other spheres will retire from active participation in society after the next five years as another generation really steps into the spotlight.

Even if you are not among one of the groups mentioned but are just an older Jamaican, I must ask you to think carefully about how you have contributed to something greater than yourself and pass on those stories to the younger generations in your family. To the politicians, public servants and private sector leaders, I know that you all care about your legacies. What will you be doing over the next five years to contribute to a better Jamaica and secure your legacies?

The next five years are not just important because of the economic situation Jamaica is trying to get out of. They are important because they will set the tone and pace of development for the second 50 years. What are the aspirations and timelines? What improvements do we want to see which we will actually work towards? How will Jamaican society improve?

Being involved in politics, a member of the public sector or a private sector leader all provide opportunities to have an outsized impact on the challenging journey ahead, but it will always be a worthwhile journey. Here are some of my ideas for how you can contribute and ensure that your last laps set the right tone.

Mentorship

Whenever new people come into a system, the best way to minimise problems is through some sort of mentorship, the more experienced sharing their knowledge and experience. It does not have to be a formal system, but skills and best practices need to be passed down.

Big Ideas

Countries do not progress without big ideas to spur them on. Jamaica has tremendous potential yet to be tapped, and some of these people on their final laps still have great ideas. Do not think that being old means that you should not share them, and I hope that the society will be open to the ideas no matter who they come from. They should be judged on their merits, not on who proposed them.

Personal Example

There is too much of the 'do as I say but not as I do' mentality and it must be stopped. Our people need more positive role models, especially inside Parliament. The way our future representatives carry themselves in public will be a reflection of what they have grown accustomed to. The way an employee in the public service deals with a member of the public is influenced in the same way.

A concerted effort must be made to raise the bar in all spheres.

Honest Assessments

Honesty and frankness in assessments of performance without people taking offence are needed. Constructive criticism is important to improvement and we must ensure honest performance appraisals, especially throughout the public service. We must also request honest assessments from politicians when it comes to where Jamaica has been and where it is going in all areas. We must move past discussions of the country being tinted by whether or not you look at facts with green glasses or orange glasses.

We are running in a never-ending relay where the baton has to be passed regularly to the next generation, the next leaders, the next workers. We have stumbled at times, but the fact that we have a functioning democracy that has never had a coup shows that we have never dropped the baton.

Let us work on smoothing out the baton handover so that the next leg starts off on the best foot. If you are running your final leg, then please put your all into your last lap and put Team Jamaica first.

David Mullings was the first Future Leaders representative for the USA on the Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board. He can be found at facebook.com/InteractiveDialogue and Twitter.com/davidmullings

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