What are you leaving behind?

“The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.”[1]  Was Cicero profiling you?

“I will never forget the gut-level conviction he had that we are all expressions of God and that we all should step up and live our God selves. And now that he is gone, I remember the haunting lines of a song he sang beautifully though he did not write, What if God was one of us?”[2] This is Harriette Cole remembering Prince this week.

Based on what I have researched and heard since his death leads me to believe that Prince’s biggest legacy is so much more than his musical genius. It is also his spirit longings.

According to Prince’s very close friend Van Jones, political commentator, who shared with CNN’s Don Lemon, “His faith would not allow him to speak publically about his good deeds. He wanted the fact that he was such a humanitarian kept a secret. For example, there are people who have solar panels on their houses in Oakland that don’t know Prince paid for them. There are fifteen major technology companies invested in the education of kids in the “hood” as a result of Prince’s vision. He was the kind of friend that showed up when you were having a bad day. He was there for you if you were down. And he pushed all of us to do more.”[3] View the entire interview in the footnote.

So I ask. What’s important to you? What are your values? How do you want your life to touch others? What would make you proud? If you had to do one thing to improve your world, what would your contribution be? How can you leave your mark on whatever you do?

The answer to these introspective questions can help you develop a meaningful philosophy of life.  Your words become the building blocks of your legacy. Knowing what’s important, what drives you and how you want to be remembered creates tremendous clarity in how you should live your life.

Is hoping or doing more important to you? What are you leaving behind?

[1] http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/407271-the-life-of-the-dead-is-placed-on-the-memories

[2] http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/04/harriette_cole_my_year_on_the_road_with_prince.html

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMwH-4pA1NA

    Until next time, remember,

• You are not alone.

• You are not your circumstances.

• You have everything within you to live a purpose-filled life.