Years ago in college, I took a “Women’s Studies” course reminding me of strong women who helped change the world, one step at a time.  Tonight, I am reminded again of how much we can learn from each other by just sitting down and listening.  During the second season premier of  “Oprah’s MasterClass,” Jane Fonda sits and shares her life and her heart in an hour of amazing television.  As the iconic woman sits and speaks, we see a raw and honest side of her that not many of us can even reach within ourselves.  It’s the kind of authenticity and realness that when you see it, you know it.  For sixty minutes, Jane Fonda shares a Master Class of life lessons in the kind of way that will stay with you for a very long time.  It makes me appreciate the lessons…and makes me want to take them out into the world and into my own life.  So, to start…here are my MasterClass notes. 

• Picture perfect on the outside is not always picture perfect on the inside.  Appreciate your OWN life.
• “If you allow yourself, you can become stronger in the very places you were broken.”
• Don’t strive to be perfect.  Instead, strive to be whole.
• According to Jane, life comes in acts. The first 30 year – 1st Act.  Second 30 years – 2nd Act. Last 30 years – 3rd Act.
• “I wasn’t afraid of getting to the end of life.  What I was really scared of was getting to the end of life with a lot of regrets…when it was too late to do anything about them.”
• Take the time now to reflect back to see who you really are.  Take the time to research yourself and get to know the real you.  It just might change your life.
• Allow your vulnerabilities to show.
• “In order to know where we’re going, we have to know where we’ve been. And to know where we’ve been, we have to understand who our parents were.   Not who you think they were, but who they really were as free standing individuals and people.”
• Be who you are.  That is enough.
• Don’t go through life with guilt. Don’t own others actions as yours.  It has nothing to do with you…it is their life…it is them
• Notice the people in your life.  Engage with them at every chance that you can!  DO NOT be cut off.  Notice them. It matters.
• Sometimes when you feel nothing…it’s says everything.  Don’t be afraid to show your emotions and feel how you feel.
• “When you’re little you adopt survival mechanisms … but then they last too long and become impediments to growth.”
• Learn to forgive yourself.
• Remember…when you think “it’s all about you,” it’s really NOT all about you.  Life is bigger than you.
• Addiction to perfection is toxic. 
• Open your eyes…and see the wonderful people around you and the lessons of your life.
• See the beloved people in the world and know…everyone is human and nobody’s perfect.
• We are not meant to be perfect. We are meant to be whole.
• Find your focus. Find something that gives you JOY. 
• What you say to someone can change their lives.  Know that and give your words and love to the world.
• Find that thing that you go to bed thinking of and you wake up thinking of.  Find your passion.
• You can always make a difference.  Listen to others and understand them.
• Know what you are fighting against. Understand what you are dealing with.  Take the time and get to know your enemy. 
• Empathy is revolutionary. “We have to listen to each other even when we don’t agree. Open our hearts and listen with empathy.”
• “Look what stares you in the face and try to understand it.”
• Just go for it!  Challenge yourself in life.  If you fear it, go toward it.  Become a master of it! You’ll feel terrific.
• “Conquer your fears…We have to teach our children that. You have to face your fears or else you’ll get soggy.” – Katherine Hepburn to Jane Fonda while filming “On Golden Pond.”
• “When I’m afraid of something, I embrace it. I become it’s best friend. I know everything I can about it.  And my fear dissipates.”
• “Breaking the wall of silence…that’s what happens when you face your fears.”
• “We are all part of everything. We are energy.”
• Grow from your pain.  Know your strength. 
• Pay attention.  Be present enough to feel yourself moving back into yourself.
• “Whatever is in front of you, you are able to do it.”
• Be a woman in charge of yourself.
• It is never too late to begin again.
• The goal is to be whole….to be peace….to reside inside your skin.”
• “My best legacy is my life and the lesson is, it’s never too late.  Everything came late for me…my voice, my becoming whole, my learning intimacy…all those things happened after I turned 60 and I think it’s a very hopeful lesson.  It is never too late.  Never give up.”

 With love, thank you Jane Fonda for sharing part of your 3rd Act with us.  We are on our feet with applause.  Your life is not only your legacy, but a gift that you have shared with the world.  Your lessons are golden…your power and strength, inspiring.  Your story…your legacy.