What If Your Legacy Is Happening Right Now?
What if legacy isn’t something you leave behind, but something you live every day? I’ve been turning this idea over in my mind lately—the thought that our legacy isn’t just a sum of what we accomplish, but the way we show up in the world, the choices we make, and the impact we have on others in real time. Some people chase a vision of ease, working long hours now to secure a comfortable future. Others prioritize time in the present, making trade-offs to be more present with family or community. There’s no right way—only the way that aligns with what truly matters to you. But that alignment doesn’t happen by accident. It’s something we cultivate, question, and refine. So, what if we stopped thinking of legacy as an endpoint and started living it instead?
A year ago, I found myself in one of those moments that, in hindsight, marks a clear before-and-after. I was laid off from my very stable corporate job. By the end of the month, I would have no paycheck, no healthcare, no next step lined up. As a single parent with a toddler in daycare, this scenario had lived high on my list of biggest fears. How on earth would I manage?
And yet, somewhere in the shock, there was a brief, undeniable calm—one that whispered: Don’t panic. Look around. So I did. I gave myself a two-week hall pass to do whatever felt right. Sleep. Read. Cook. Sit in the sun. Meet someone for coffee. Walk. No judgment, no pressure. I handled the essentials, like securing healthcare, but outside of that, I let my days unfold. I needed rest. I needed space. And in that space, I started to see more clearly what made sense for me and my family.
Over the next several months, clarity took shape. I didn’t want to go back to a 9-to-5. I wanted something different. And in a move that surprised even me, I put into writing the workshop I had led countless times—transforming it into a book, authored by me, now out in the world. It was the moment I started betting on myself, actively building my own legacy—not as something distant, but as something lived daily. A legacy of helping others find what makes them tick, lean into what they love, and create lives of meaning.
Living my legacy has required trade-offs—giving up stable income, employer-paid healthcare, and the ease of everyday purchases I once didn’t think twice about. But those trade-offs are part of a larger vision, part of what I want to leave behind and how I want to live right now.
So I’ll ask you:
If legacy is something you practice daily, what might change in your life?
What trade-offs would you make to step into a life you truly want?
There’s no one-size-fits-all. For some, it’s building a business or raising a family. For others, it’s creating space for joy, rest, or community care. For others yet, it’s bringing their art into the world. The point isn’t what your legacy looks like—it’s that you recognize it’s already unfolding. Every decision, every boundary, every moment of clarity adds to the story you’re telling with your life.
In the work I do—whether it’s with individuals re-imagining their wealth and leadership, or fundraisers reshaping how they serve their communities—we often begin here:
What do you want to be known for, today?
What version of success actually feels like yours?
You don’t have to have all the answers. You certainly don’t have to overhaul your life overnight like I did. But what if, just for today, you paid attention to the legacy you’re already shaping? The way you show up in conversations. The choices you make with your time, energy, and resources. The quiet pull toward something more aligned.
Legacy isn’t a distant outcome—it’s in the small, daily moments where you decide what matters. So, what’s one choice you can make today that brings you closer to the life you truly want?