On the Legacies Women Create

In honor of Women’s History Month, I’ve been reflecting on what constitutes a legacy and what deems a person a changemaker. 

As I look back on all of the women who have come before me, paving the way and passing the torch to the women of today, it has really become clear to me that there is no “how to” when it comes to building a legacy and making history. There is not one type of woman that is built to make change. 

There is not one type of woman that is built to make change.

I think of Michelle Obama, with her extroverted wit, and Maya Angelou with her unwavering sturdy wisdom. I look to the women in my own life—the lineage of women I come from are nothing short of complex masterpieces—made up of writers, educators, immigrants and changemakers. I think of my own mother making hard decisions to honor herself in her life, in ways that I could never understand until I started to have to make those decisions myself.

Every woman is different, woven together specifically and on purpose. We are each creating a unique legacy and paving the way for ourselves and those around us by simply making the next right choice. 

History is not just what’s in the history books (in fact the history books are a rather biased sampling of stories). The impact you leave in your community, in your home and in your workplace—simply by honoring yourself and making decisions that feel true in your soul—that is history in the making. 

The impact you leave in your community, in your home and in your workplace…that is history in the making. 

Have you ever walked into a bookstore and felt overwhelmed by the depth of the stories, knowledge and wisdom on the shelves? There might be the few in the front that are bestsellers and instant household favorites, but then, as you browse and spend more and more time with each book, some tucked away in the back or in a section you wouldn’t typically venture into, you find yourself awestruck. 

Ladies, we are the bestsellers, the awe-inspiring book in the back and everything in between. Each woman building her legacy choice by choice, big and small—no story more or less valuable. Your story and your life plays a unique and important role in history. Each a gem on the shelf for the next generation to swing by and pick up and to be passed down to grandchildren. 

Look around at the women in your life, and look inside. Our capabilities as women are so expansive, so far and wide that I cannot and will not ever see the end. Let us remember that we are all building legacies and writing stories that will create ripple effects that impact future generations. 

Looking at your life so far, what kind of story are you writing? What legacy would you like to leave once you are gone?

Image via Kathryna Hancock, Darling Issue No. 15