By Cara Sherice
Oprah Winfrey said it best in her Commencement Address at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta where she captured so beautifully the advice she had been given by the late Maya Angelou who stated, “You have no idea what your legacy will be. Your legacy is what you do every day. Your legacy is every life you’ve touched, every person whose life was either moved or not. It’s every person you’ve harmed or helped. That’s your legacy.”
When I heard these words I was immediately moved by these powerful statements that suggest our legacy runs deeper than popularity or the possessions you give. It's bout the feeling that you was able to provide them, the impact that you made on their lives...those are the things that will be remembered far beyond the actual act and live with people for years to come. Those are the things that legacies are built on.
In Oprah's address to this graduating class, she shares some hard hitting truths stating, “The biggest reward is not financial benefits, though it’s really good, you can get a lot of great shoes! Those of you who have a lot of shoes know having a closet full of shoes doesn’t fill up your life. Living a life of substance can…. Substance through your service, your offering of your whole self… whatever is true for you, whatever you stand for.” In order to live a life of substance we should always be focused on being a person of substance. A person fearlessly walking in their truth and able to feel everything with love...because in each moment you are building your legacy.
After pausing for a moment to reflect on these words, I was suddenly overwhelmed with excitement and wonder. To be excited that right now as we live our (auto)biographies are being written. Minute by minute, day by day, month by month. Also, on the flip side wondering...if my story is being written the way I want to tell it.
In order to get to the answer to this question we must ask ourselves a series of questions that will help us find this answer. Questions like:
How will you use yourself in such a way that your impact and your legacy will live beyond the doing?
What would you have to manifest in your day-to-day life to ensure that your legacy is one that will bring you pride?
What motives and values should you rely on to guide your behaviors?
Are you more engaged in becoming a person of wealth or a person of value?
May you always be mindful of ways you can make an impact and take the time to reflect on these words knowing always: “Your legacy is every life you’ve touched.”
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CARA SHERICE
Founder & Creator of PrettiPassionate