Bold Moves

Chapter 7Own your legacy

The souls of men are not measured by what they have done, but by what they leave behind.

Anonymous

I recently saw an interview with Terri Irwin where she said, ‘We all have a legacy and the way you leave your life is the life you lead’. Terri moved countries because she fell in love and just as quickly it was taken away from her when her husband Steve died tragically in 2006. She has obviously thought very deeply about this experience and the legacy we leave.

So, what do you want your life to have been when you’re sitting in your rocking chair and telling your story to the next generation?

To live a bolder and better life while we are on planet Earth it is worth knowing the two most common realisations people have when they are dying, according to Australian nurse Bronnie Ware, who worked in palliative care and wrote the book The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. First: ‘I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me’. As Brené Brown once said, ‘Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy — the experiences that make us the most vulnerable’. So we need to step into the difficult and tough times to really experience the ability to live boldly. It’s easy to imagine how many dreams have gone unfulfilled when you read Ware’s book. Most people have not honoured ...