Have you ever been asked the question, “If you could have the chance to meet with any person, either dead or alive, who would it be?” When I am asked that question, I answer with Princess Diana.

What I saw in Princess Diana was an incredibly human human being. She had power and prestige and privilege and beauty and station, but she also had weaknesses and flaws and vulnerabilities while also having a heart and compassion and selflessness. She was able to leverage each of those qualities to make herself someone who was relatable and admirable and inspirational.

I feel like she created a legacy for herself purposefully, but not because she wanted to be remembered by all of us; she created a legacy because she knew that she had the ability to change people’s lives, and that was what would live on well beyond however many years she lived (which wasn’t anywhere near enough, in my opinion). She showed the world that you can make mistakes on the most public of stages and still be a force for good in the world. She showed us that we don’t have to always play by the rules. She showed everyone that using your wealth, power, privilege, and station to benefit others begets more wealth, power, privilege, and station that you can keep using for good. It’s a beautiful vicious circle. And you don’t have to have loads of wealth, power, privilege, or station. We should all use what we have, and if we all worked as selflessly as she did, just imagine how wonderful this world would be.

That’s why I would want to meet Princess Diana. I would want to hear how she did this and then do it myself.