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"Break the Internet" the caption reads. A voluptuous Kim Kardashian beckons to me with a serious weapon from her feminine arsenal. Alas, it is all wasted on me. Even if she is attractive and has a much bigger ... personality than most, I just don't get why it seems that so many people spend their time soaking up and making space in their lives for so much of the K-West craze and other celebrity-life (over) coverage as possible. Where is the return on that investment?
I have not met Kim or her musician husband, Kanye West, and they may be nice people, but they seem to claim a lot of space in the world. The claim a lot of attention and space on the internet, in magazines, on television and pretty much any place they turn up, doing anything at all; in my humble opinion, a little too much space.
To be fair, the Kardashian-West connection is just an easy celebrity example, but they are by far not alone in laying claim to as much space as possible, both in the virtual and the physical worlds, with seemingly with no intention to seize the opportunity and use that larger-than-life status, to make an incredible positive impact on the world. Why break the internet when you could instead be a catalyst for positive action and leave a legacy that will last for years to come? (Besides that, can we agree that breaking the internet would be very inconvenient for a lot of people?)
It's easy to look at and judge other people for not making the impact we believe they should be making, which started me thinking, how much space do you and I have to claim before we begin to leverage that into positive change, into quiet revolution and into a life that makes a legacy-worthy impact in the world? (Note: this is a trick question.)
The answer to that question is that we don't have to be any larger in the space we claim to make a difference right where we are. We don't need more status, fame, media-attention or stuff. We don't need anything that we don't already have. We do need to begin. Start right where we are.
Think of people who have done great things in their lives, things that still echo today. Think of Mother Teresa and the poorest of the poor in India. Think of Rosa Parks and the 60's civil rights movement. Think, more recently, of Barbara Nesbit, the former juvenile court probation officer, who devotes her time and energy to make the Vance community center, in Memphis, a safe-haven for a healthy meal, homework help and some loving guidance, for as many as two-hundred children each day. Ms. Nesbit's work is not yet as prominent as the previous two but without it, many of these children would otherwise not have these things many of us take for granted.
None of these three women were taking up much "space" in the world outside their homes, they were not big names, high-ranking officials or people who commanded large-scale attention when they decided to throw themselves into making something happen that was important to them. They simply committed to action that reflected their core values and the change they wanted to see in the world. It was their willingness to lead from where they stood and their commitment to living that out, which grew and in Ms. Nesbit's case is still growing, into the capacity to make ever greater things happen in the world. Deeds that rightfully claim honor and space in the hearts and minds of millions far beyond those they have directly touched and into the journals of our history.
It is natural and empowering to claim your space in the world, but if you are ready to do more and live a legacy-worthy life of impact, here are five steps that you can take today:
Five Steps to Help You a Live a Legacy-Life that Makes an Impact Now:
1.Identify your core values (what is most important to you) today.
2.Align your goals and actions to your core values so you can start making the difference and the impact you were meant to make in this world.
3.Before you commit to any new goal, before you take any action, run it through the filter of your core values and you will always be on the right path.
4.Ask yourself what you want people to say about you at your funeral and then decide what has to happen for that eulogy to manifest itself when the time comes.
5.Start making a difference right where you are, right now. If you have been waiting for the right sign, say like, breaking the internet, cut it out and take action.
In the words of one of my favorite quotes by Napolean Hill, "Don't wait. The time will never be just right."
For help and support to align your goals and actions to your core values, send me an e-mail at coach(at)banks-grasedyck.com or via the contact form on my website: www.banks-grasedyck.com.
I would love to hear from you! #MakeItHappen
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