"Well-behaved women seldom make history." Ouch! Have you heard this statement by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich before? Does it surprise you? Does it lead you to act in a different way? Are you thinking of your impact and legacy?
If you're like me, you're likely just thinking about how to make it through the week with work and family commitments. But there is an easy way to make long-term impact and legacy part of your day-to-day routine.
WOMEN CAN MAKE HISTORY "when they do the unexpected, when they create and preserve records, and when later generations care."
Try implementing these three steps today!
1. Do the Unexpected This is different for each woman as our callings and missions in life are varied and unique. The power in doing the unexpected lies in the accumulation of small and simple daily habits, and has the greatest influence in acts of integrity, kindness, and thinking outside the box of our current roles and expectations. Grand gestures done only occasionally will not have the same impact. Ultimately, doing the unexpected should leave things better than you found them.
2. Create and Preserve Records A woman who hasn't recorded her experiences and story will have no impact. Surprised? It's true! This ranges from personal history to reports within a job. If there is no record, how are we to understand where we have been and know where we are going? Think how quarterly sales reports give us direction, and job descriptions are a guide for daily action. In the same way, personal journals allow space for contemplation and plans for the future. If you are not making time to keep records, personal and in business, begin today. Legacy takes shape when there is a record of your life story.
3. Sharing with Later Generations Gerda Lerner claims that the core of women's oppression has been the inability to access their own history. We can change that and make our histories available now. This ability to share with later generations is within our control more than we think. It starts with sharing our experiences with others and includes deliberately looking to the past to shape our actions and decisions for the future. Share your story! Share your experiences! Look for ways to share what you have learned in your life with others and encourage other women to do the same.
Create the life of impact and legacy that you were born to do with these three steps. We all have purpose! I believe we are here to fulfill it and make a difference.
What impact would you like to make or have you made already? What will your legacy look like? I would love to hear from you! Share your story by writing to Dayna at [email protected]