August 4th was Barack
Obama Obama’s Birthday. And I paused to reflect—not just on the presidency,
the policies, or the history he made—but on something deeper: the way he and
Michelle Obama are telling their stories on purpose.
Books. Documentaries. Podcasts. A
whole media company.
They are using content—words, wisdom, and storytelling—to build legacy and
shape culture. And they’re doing it boldly. But here’s the part I want to
highlight today:
Legacy isn’t reserved for the well-known.
You don’t have to be famous to be heard. You just have to be faithful enough to share what you’ve lived through.
Let me take you back for a minute. When I was preparing to release my first eBook, Chosen for This: How to Be
Married to Ministry and Have Your Own Life Calling, I found out that
Michelle Obama was about to release Becoming.
On the exact same day.
And I hesitated.
I thought, “How can my little book compete with the First Lady of the United
States?”
Would my message just get lost in the excitement? But then I remembered something:
There were women walking a
journey I knew intimately—faithful, committed, often unseen women trying to
support their husbands' ministries while still trying to find their own
callings.
They didn’t need Michelle’s story. They needed mine. So I released the book anyway. And those women showed up. They
read it. They resonated. They responded. Because I wasn’t trying to go viral—I was trying to be real.
Legacy Isn’t About
Popularity—It’s About Purpose
The Obamas are legacy-builders. But
so are you. You don’t need a Netflix deal or a bestseller to be impactful.
What you need is this:
✅
A willingness to reflect.
✅
A voice willing to speak truth.
✅
And the courage to tell your story like it matters—because it does.
Your Story Is Your Power
A memory lives in your head. A legacy lives in others. If you’ve been sitting on a story, a blog, a book, or a course idea, let me
lovingly challenge you: Don’t let comparison keep you quiet. Don’t let the success of others convince you that your voice doesn’t carry
weight. Because somebody is waiting on the
words only you can write.
Want to Build Your Legacy?
That’s what I help people do. Through
my coaching, my institute, and programs like the Quickstart eBook Course
or Black Men Write Too, I help people move from silence to story, from
memory to manuscript, and from manuscript to movement.
You’re not too late.
You’re not too small.
You’re not too ordinary.
You are chosen for this.
Let’s start writing your
legacy—together.
And if you’ve had a “I’m not famous
enough moment” like mine—where you almost stayed silent—drop it in the
comments. I’d love to hear how you pressed through.
Dr. Janice R. Love
Founder, Pearls Perfected Institute
Coach | Author | Legacy Builder
