Greetings!

We enter the month of Spring in the U.S. - and it seems slow to come especially in many of the southern states which remain colder than usual! And of course there have been record snows in places where people really long for the first buds and bulbs to appear.  

Sometimes things take longer than we think, or don't materialize as we plan them. Sometimes we need to re-group.  We may need to make a course correction or make an adjustment to get back on track.  Finding your voice and deciding how to sing your song may develop interference. You may encounter resistance that makes you wonder what the heck you're doing and if - and how - you should continue.  

As we build Creating Legacy, we know these experiences well. The interference, resistance and questioning are par for the creative course.  Fortunately, from the many adventures we've had with past endeavors, we can recognize them for the parts of the growth process they play. And they aren't necessarily fun.  So we've learned, and hope you have or are learning, that at such times stepping back and implementing exceedingly good self-care is paramount. This too shall pass, whatever it is. You may have to hunker down and nurture yourself in the meanwhile so you can emerge feeling happy and productive. Then you can regain the excitement and passion that allows you to get your great work out to the world.

In celebration of that, this month marks Be Heard Day!  It is a holiday that was created by a colleague we love who is brilliant at publicity and public relations - an important way to tell your story and get the message about your great work out to the world.  See more in our Aligned Experts Corner.  

And if you haven't fully developed your legacy story, or aren't quite ready to tell it, this issue includes some inspiring ideas and resources. We have included stories of overcoming obstacles, and building something incredible after looking for many years. There are also some book resources for finding your life purpose and passion, dealing with resistance, and encouraging your exercise of creativity.

Happy impending Spring.  We hope great things emerge for you this year. If you do nothing else at the moment (or whenever applicable), please take good care and get the support you need to get where you want to go next, so you can build a great life that is also a wonderful legacy.

Cheers,

Dolly


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Be Heard?!
By Eliza Crouch

We are bombarded with hundreds of messages every day. They come from various multimedia sources: television, radio, newspapers, movies, magazines, email not to mention the vast internet, YouTube, FaceBook and Twitter. Yet there is so much we never hear, messages that never get through the din of information clutter.     

With all the noise, we develop filters and buffers to the chatter. Significant natural disasters and local human interest or community development stories still grab my attention. But what inspires more these days are stories of daily, routine activities – of people learning how to give their gifts and be heard above the noise.        

Grand applause is due for this recent story about Roger Ebert, former journalist and television's most famous film critic.  He joined his long time friend Oprah Winfrey on her show this past week.  In 2002, Roger was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, which later spread to his salivary glands and jaw. As Oprah said, 'he endured surgery after surgery and the cancer eventually took his voice.'  Excellent medical intervention, the loving care of his wife and the support of dear friends gave Roger the strength to live. While cancer stole Roger's ability to speak naturally, it did not claim his unique voice or the power of his words. His film reviews can be found in over 200 newspapers and he writes a lively blog! And it was his words, his voice, that originally suggested Oprah syndicate her show, creating the giant reach of her voice now known the world over.

Or maybe you can relate better to Diane Rehm’s story. She is now well known on public radio as an intelligent, successful radio journalist.  To get there, she had to overcome silencing her own voice as a young girl to avoid an abusive situation at home – only now to battle with a condition called spasmodic dysphonia, a neurological condition that affects the voice.  So she is called upon to re-group in order to continue being heard in the world. 

Likewise the wonderful Julie Andrews, who Diane interviewed in late 2009.  The incredible singer, actor, star of stage and film and writer, is losing her singing voice – and finding a new speaking voice.  She is now pursuing a literary collaboration of children’s stories and poems in books and audios in collaboration with her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton.  Listen to a re-broadcast of that show here.

These stories make headlines because of the notoriety and celebrity involved, but they are among millions of others. Thankfully, each of these public figures had the courage to share their private stories, be heard, inspire and do the work that changes the world for the better. There are so many other captivating stories that exemplify the will to live, the strength of the human spirit, the fierce desire for expression and the longing to make a meaningful, lasting difference.  

You, too, have an important story to tell, and perhaps to personally experience in your life and work.  Connect, build and deepen relationships. Patiently and consistently speak up.  No need to shout – there is so much of that and people are starting to tune it out.  Sometimes we simply need to whisper in the midst of the screeching. Or find a listening partner to help you capture your stories in a permanent form, expand your reach and increase the audience that will hear them for a thousand years.  

Yours is a special voice, unique and important for others to hear. Speak up, write it, express yourself, take a stand and be heard!  Whether it’s an audio interview, the written word or a business plan for a great project. Be the difference and pursue the important changes the world needs – and when you find yourself silenced by anything, find another way. You can do it.  

We're here to coach your story out and send your legacy forward for the world to hear. How can we help?


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Legacy The Girl Scout Way

Participation in the Girl Scouts during my formative years taught me many things – about respecting the outdoors, teamwork, learning practical skills, caring and providing service, and “leaving things better than I found them.”  All these lessons apply to developing your own legacy, maybe most importantly the last one.  It can be done on a day to day, moment to moment basis (a preventive approach!) or through a bigger project that makes a major difference.

Many people dream of making some kind of difference. What keeps them from it may be an erroneous thought: that they lack the talents or resources to do so, or that building a great legacy is beyond their reach.  Despite having significant experience in their career or profession, financial success, and a longing to build something that gives back, still some level of resistance stops them.

Designing and building something that makes a positive, sustainable difference in the lives of others is something all human beings have the capacity for.  Plenty of ‘ordinary people’ with similar doubts have created great things by using the right models and advisers, and taking consistent and persistent action.

One such social entrepreneur made an impact on millions of girls: Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low. Born in Savannah, Georgia in 1860, she searched until 1911 for something she thought was useful to do with her life. At the age of 51 – almost completely deaf due to injuries – she assembled 18 girls and registered the first troop of American Girl Guides. She founded the Girl Scouts of the USA a year later in March of 1912, with the idea to bring girls out of isolated homes into programs that helped them develop physically, mentally and spiritually.

Now nearly four million girls and adults are members, and 50 million women are alumnae.  This year, they celebrate the organization’s 98th anniversary. Some lessons from the Girl Scouts legacy to guide your own project:

• Start with an interest or passion. What inspires you to want to take action?  What do you enjoy or do well and easily?  Someone will benefit from your contribution of that.

• Involve Other People.  Relationships support and propel.  Who do you most want to influence or help? How can you use what interests you to benefit them?  Who else can be involved and help – with similar interests or different skills they can contribute?

• Take Action.  Not acting on inspired ideas can lead to frustration.  What can you do to learn how others built their great projects?  How can you find out what you need to know about hiring the right advisers, raising funds, strategic planning, assembling a board of directors, project development or sustainable design?

• Have Fun.  Above all, make it a sweet journey.  The Girl Scouts started baking cookies in 1917 to finance their activities, which was not only fun but delicious.  Today, licensed bakers produce several varieties of kosher cookies and 70% of the revenue from sales supports the organization’s mission.

Your talents, resources, experience and great ideas can make a difference if you choose to put them to work, especially in a way that is enjoyable and meaningful for you.  Your unique life and that choice are the makings of your own personal legacy.  If Juliette Gordon Low could do it in 1912 at age 51, before U.S. women were even granted the right to vote, you can definitely do something great, too.

What is your first step?

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Email me about someone you know who is living or building a legacy. We’d love to feature their story. Maybe it's you?!