What Is Your Living Legacy?

On Monday, I viewed the beginning of Oprah's send-off celebration after 25 years and over 4500 episodes on TV. I witnessed the beginning of a tribute that left me teary eyed and in awe. A gathering of thousands of loyal viewers, famous admirers, and friends such as Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Beyonce', Madonna, Patti LaBell, and Diane Sawyer, honored a woman that has literally changed the world. Video clips, testimonials, and audience participation highlighted the profound ways that Oprah and the Oprah Show, empowered women, inspired healing, instilled courage, and motivated people all around the globe to wake up not only to who they ARE but who they can BE. And, what was most profound, was to see the positive impact these people are making on their own, NOW.

I found myself saying out loud as a tear of happiness streamed down my face, "You have to be asleep not to notice the shift taking place. Look at this, we are finally honoring and celebrating the empowerment of humanity. This is truly the ripple effect - where one person creates a movement that empowers others other people to create their own movements that lead to incremental and global change. I am so grateful to be alive at this time on the planet."

Oprah's legacy of hope, courage, and empowerment resonates deeply within me and inspires me to stay true to my own calling and authenticity. Her choice to be a powerful agent of service encourages me to do the same. Her commitment to honor her inner voice and inner compass reminds me to stay true to my own course. Her ability to lead, manage, and conduct a symphony of the human spirit awakens my passion and purpose to help people grow and expand.

As I look at my words, I remind myself that I am able to admire those qualities of light in Oprah because they are within me. You see, we are only able to identify qualities that we like or dislike in others because they are the same qualities that exist within us. We can use both perspectives (seeing the admirable traits or the negative, non-admirable traits) as opportunities to help us become more aware of who we are and more committed to who we want to BEcome.

Most legacies seem to be remembered in death. But, that does not need to be the case. Our legacy can form while we are awake and alive with every choice we make. As Madonna stated so eloquently, "Whenever I am asked who my role models are, or to name women that I can look up to, I say - dead or alive? The dead list is long and diverse; the live list has one name on it.... Oprah. Think about it, she has been at the top of her game for 25 years and she is still kicking ass. She fights for things she believes in, even if it makes her unpopular. She has balls and a well of compassion."

Whether you like Oprah or not, her living legacy has left an incredible positive mark on humanity's existence today. Let's use her or someone else you admire, to awaken our living legacies. Take a moment this week and contemplate who you really are and what it is you stand for.

Empowering Exercise:

Use these contemplative questions to help you consciously create your living legacy:

1. What do you stand for? What values do you want to pass on to your children or communities?
2. When people describe you, what 3 qualities would they use?
3. What impact or imprint do you want to leave behind?