🌟 Are You Living Your Legacy… or Just Living Your To-Do List?

🌟 Where This Inspiration Came From

Recently, I was on a business trip in Tennessee and had the chance to stay at the Graceland Guest House with a group of amazing women. (Yes, right next to Elvis’s place — and let’s be honest, there’s something about being at Graceland that already makes you think about legacy, right?)

One of the incredible women I connected with was Eileen, an attorney with the warmest heart. But what really struck me wasn’t her legal work — it was her passion for creating something called “Legacy Letters.”

Legacy Letters are sometimes called “ethical wills.” Instead of listing assets and finances, they pass down values, lessons, and stories. They capture the heart of someone’s life rather than just the logistics.

Hearing Eileen describe this work lit a spark for me. In true ADHD fashion, my mind immediately jumped from letters… to wills… to trusts… to obituaries… and then to eulogies. (You know how one thought leads to another, and suddenly you’re connecting dots that no one else can see.)

And that’s where the idea for this workbook was born.

Because here’s the thing: most of us wait until the end of our life to talk about our legacy. But what if we didn’t? What if instead of waiting for a eulogy, we started writing our legacy now — while we’re alive, while we’re growing, while we still have time to align our daily choices with what matters most?

That’s what this work is all about. Not writing a will, not preparing an obituary — but creating clarity around your values, your purpose, and your legacy in action.

Why Knowing Your Core Values Changes Everything (and How to Find Yours)

We live in a world that glorifies busy. Our days are filled with checklists, deadlines, and the constant buzz of notifications. But here’s the question that stops most people in their tracks:

👉 At the end of your life, will your to-do list really matter?

That question can feel a little heavy — and that’s the point. Because the truth is, most of us are moving fast but not necessarily moving in the right direction.

🌱 What Really Matters: Your Core Values

Values are not just fluffy words you write on a vision board. They’re the invisible compass that guides your choices, whether you realize it or not.

• Goals are something you achieve and check off.

• Values are something you live by.

When you’re grounded in your core values, life feels different. You move with intention. Even the small things — the way you answer an email, the way you spend your Saturday morning, the way you show up for your family — carry meaning.

But when you don’t know your values? That’s when you get stuck in “autopilot life.” You keep moving, but wonder why you feel unfulfilled.

🌳 Picture This: Your Values as Roots

Imagine your values as the roots of a tree.

When the winds of life blow — unexpected changes, ADHD overwhelm, curveballs from work or family — roots are what keep you steady. They don’t make the storms go away, but they keep you anchored so you don’t topple over.

When you live in alignment with your values, each action becomes a meaningful step toward the life you actually want — not just the one you stumble into by default.

🎸 The Spark: Inspiration from Graceland

The inspiration for this blog — and my Legacy Compass Workbook — actually came from a recent trip I took to Tennessee. I was staying at the Graceland Guest House (yes, Elvis’s Graceland 🎶) with a group of amazing women.

One of them, Eileen, is an attorney whose passion is helping people create something called Legacy Letters — also known as ethical wills. These aren’t about money or assets. They’re about passing down stories, lessons, and values — the heart of a life well lived.

That conversation lit a spark in me. And in true ADHD fashion, my brain started leaping from letters… to wills… to trusts… to obituaries… to eulogies.

And it hit me:  👉 Why do we wait until the end to talk about our legacy?  👉 Why don’t we start shaping and living it now?

That question became the foundation for the Legacy Compass Workbook — a tool to help you define your values, write your own legacy statement, and start living in alignment today.

⚖️ The Gap Between Who You Are and Who You Want to Be

Here’s something powerful: Sometimes when people first reflect on their values, they realize there’s a gap between how they want to live and how they’re actually living.

That gap isn’t failure. It’s information. And once you see it, you can start to close it — one choice, one day, one small step at a time.

🧭 How to Start Finding Your Core Values

Ready to discover your own compass? Try this:

1. Brainstorm Values — Grab a list of common values (love, kindness, freedom, growth, integrity, health, joy, etc.) and circle all that resonate.

2. Narrow to 2–3 — Ask: If I could only live by 3 values for the rest of my life, which would I choose?

3. Check Their Superpowers + Shadows — Example: Kindness is a superpower… until it slides into people-pleasing. Awareness = power.

4. Write a Legacy Statement — A 3–5 sentence summary of who you want to be remembered as. Example:

 “My legacy is one of kindness and courage. I live with integrity and choose actions that bring light to others.”

💡 Why This Matters

Because life is short. And at the end, no one wishes they spent more time checking off lists. They wish they lived aligned with what mattered most.

Your values are not just words on a page — they are your North Star.

✨ Your Turn

Take a breath. Ask yourself:

• What do I want to be remembered for?

• Am I living in alignment with that today?

And if the answer is “not yet” — that’s okay. You’re right where you need to be. The first step is awareness. The next step is action.