WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR LEGACY TO BE??

On March 13th of 2020, Rhode Island went into quarantine.

I had 176 contacts on LinkedIn.

I had eight speaking gigs scheduled over the next six weeks. Speaking gigs that always generated new clients for me.

By March 20th, all the speaking gigs were canceled, and I had no new clients in my pipeline.

Overnight, it was gone.

And I still had 176 contacts on LinkedIn.

I was paralyzed… I was scared. Not only for me, but for the world. We were actually in a pandemic? Like a real live virus spreading across the globe that was not on a movie screen? Seriously?

For two days I felt like a fish pulled onto a boat, gasping for air, not knowing how to get back in the water. What was I going to do?

And then I remembered my “Q” card…the little black card I found in a coffee shop back in 2018 that changed my life.

This little black card with a big Q and a prompt sentence, that simply read:

“What do you want your legacy to be?”

That little card changed my life two and a half years ago, and it was about to do the same thing again.

I realized right there that I had to get out of the boat, I had to change everything. I knew that with one determined push, I could get back over the side and into the water, and breathe again.

So I did.

I dove into LinkedIn, determined to figure out how to succeed.

I started a virtual networking group that has gone for 54 straight weeks now.

I started a podcast.

I redid my website.

I contacted every summit and webinar and podcast show I knew to try to get exposure.

I tried to connect with every LinkedIn influencer I could find.

I worked till 3:00 a.m. most nights.

Twelve months and 22 days later, I just eclipsed over 9,100 followers on LinkedIn.

I now have clients contacting me everyday, inquiring about my services. And all of my speaking and training gigs are currently online.

I’m swimming again, this time faster and freer than ever before.

I’m not writing this to pat myself on the back, nor am I oblivious to the numerous other struggles around us that make mine look petty.

I’m writing this because we all have our own small worlds to live in, our own boats, and we all have choices on how we react to them.

I’m writing this in hopes that it helps just one person be inspired to move forward, to reinvent themselves, to know that if I can go from 176 contacts on LinkedIn to over 9,100 in just 12 months, they can too.

If you’re struggling or tempted to hit the pause button, remember that the water is just one jump away. You just have to take the leap.

What do you want YOUR legacy to be?