One week ago today, the world lost creative genius and musical icon Prince Rogers Nelson, better known to most of us, simply as Prince. No, I didn’t know Prince personally, but as a child growing up in the 80s, Prince, much like Michael Jackson, was part of the soundtrack to my childhood. Prince was a rare breed of talent that gave it his all, be it his singing, dancing, writing, style, etc. – Prince didn’t believe in half-stepping.
Despite Prince’s enormous talent, what struck me most, in the hours and days after his passing were the countless number of people who spoke out, remembering his extreme kindness, generosity and humanitarian efforts. Prince’s legacy will be as much about his generosity and philanthropy, as it will be about his musical genius. I’m not even going to lie – I was brought to tears several times over the past week listening to different people recount just how kind-hearted and selfless Prince was – from his work with Yes We Code, to his concerts and community activism in Chicago, Baltimore, New Orleans and Oakland, Prince was truly a man of the people. It’s amazing to hear all the lives he touched and people he helped in his 57 years. That one person could have such a profound impact, in this world, inspires me.
All the personal stories got me to thinking about legacy. Whether you believe it or not, we all have a legacy we’ll leave behind, be it good or bad. Personally, I believe we all have a purpose. I also believe that part of that purpose is to help other people. And you don’t have to be a global icon to make a difference; we all have something to give in this world. Whether it be in our families, in our communities, on our jobs, we all have the ability to leave behind a positive legacy.
Personally, I want part of my legacy to be that I helped others. I see DSR Apparel as my platform to be able to help others. I love creating a product that makes my customers feel good, both inside and out. I enjoy being able to give a percentage of sales to charities empowering girls and women. I intend to grow DSR Apparel to a place where I can create college scholarships for disadvantaged youths. I also hope, one day, to be an angel investor, helping to support other women entrepreneurs on their journey. That’s just a small part of what I want my legacy to be.
So often we (yeah, that includes me too) get caught up in the media noise, obsessing over follower counts, how many “hits” our website got, how many “likes” and retweets we got, etc. But at the end of the day, follower counts, tweets and retweets won’t matter. What will matter – Who did you inspire? Whose life did you touch? How will you be remembered? What will your legacy be?
Images via Studio
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