If you were amazed at what Jane Goodall did for our planet, imagine what you could do

Hope. Love. The mission to respect and preserve a healthy planet for all of Earth's creatures, especially future generations of children. These are the core values that primatologist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall stood for, and still represents, even after her passing.

When I first heard the news of Jane’s death, I momentarily sat and suddenly sobbed. The unexpected deep reaction even surprised me. Jane put “Mother” in "Mother Nature," and this motherly impact must have resonated closely with my own mission and focus on climate change and equality. I was overwhelmed by those who joined me in mourning the loss of both Jane as well as the momentary loss of hope for the health of our planet she so fervently fought for on behalf of all worldly inhabitants. I knew in my heart that Jane would want love to rise from all of us touched by her passing, and that we should never lose hope.

My social and news media feeds have been consumed with stories and tributes to her life and mission. When I was losing hope in restoring and preserving a healthy ecology for my children and grandchildren, the response to Jane's passing told me the world truly cared. Jane lived to 91 as an icon; she harnessed her almost unwanted notoriety to raise awareness about our responsibilities as humans, to understand animals rather than destroy them, and to preserve the Earth for future generations.

Despite her beauty and camera-loving presence, she eschewed glamor, often appearing with no makeup and a shoulder-length, schoolgirl ponytail hairstyle that never changed over the decades of her life. Jane's look seemed purposeful and free of distractions, ensuring she didn't take a moment away from her no-nonsense approach to understanding and sharing lessons about the Earth and its creatures. No matter how urgent the topic of threats to our earth and animal inhabitants, Jane's voice never rose and always carried a tone of love, authenticity, conviction, and gentleness. The world listened.

I watched the special on Netflix, released after Jane's death, "Famous Last Words: Jane Goodall." The despair surfaced in me again and was made even more poignant by watching someone give their own lucid eulogy. Something was different this time, as my sadness quickly passed. As she spoke on my screen, Jane was lifting me. She talked about the simplicity of her life and how, throughout her life, she was observed by friends and family as constantly tranquil and calm. She spoke about how even small actions to preserve our Earth, done in unison, can make a huge difference. Jane talked about the importance to her of giving a healthier earth to future generations. She spoke of hope even during the darkest times.

And there it was. Jane was not just remembering her life but was giving us a blueprint for how to carry on her legacy. She was giving us motivation and hope, suggesting that if she, as one human, could have such an impact, it was now our turn. Here are my takeaways from Jane's final recorded words that will influence my life and maybe be an inspiration for yours:

Be loving and calm, starting with yourself: Jane embodied the words that every new moment is a new opportunity to show love, beginning with yourself and never ending with yourself. She observed that her greatest asset in working with all types of animals and touching the hearts and minds of people was to "be calm" in tone, face, and heart. Her soothing and loving voice throughout her life and appearances was a large part of her appeal. I could imagine that Jane was even calm in her own thoughts, too. Being peaceful is an essential basic lesson for all of us. If we all begin to embody this tranquility, starting with our own internal voices and especially in high-stress situations, we could begin to live lighter, healthier, and more impactful lives. Every new moment is a new moment to do it. We may fail at times, as Jane admitted she did, yet it can make a difference and expand the impact of our own voices in what we stand for.

Be more selfless and less selfish: Jane focused her final words on the babies that were to be born, reflecting on her own children and grandchildren. She was deeply concerned about the billionaires and world leaders who control our countries and media, yet use this enormous influence to deny climate change and stop actions to reverse it. All this suggests that she is encouraging everyone to become less self-focused and to recognize how our actions can make a difference in leaving the world a better place for future generations. Be selfless in acting, even when you think no one is watching, because in Jane's case, everyone could be watching.

Even small actions can have a considerable impact: In her last words, Jane emphasized that when each of us takes small actions in unison, it could help preserve the health of our planet for all inhabitants, human and otherwise. She gave an example of how she disposes of waste to keep it as small as possible, reminding me of my own lagging efforts. Now, I am determined to start composting food waste and to write to the executives of consumer product companies I buy and own stock in, urging them to continue their efforts to make packaging zero impact. That is going to take a lot of hope. Another area I have written and reaffirmed my commitment to is replacing meat three meals a week and not driving one day a week to help lower greenhouse gas emissions, despite governments and companies doing otherwise.

Share your actions and efforts: Most of us have social media. Most of us have a robust social circle that spans continents and countries. Jane is encouraging us to lovingly, calmly, and continually share our own efforts to make a difference in the health of our ecology. Jane found it incomprehensible and maybe even unacceptable that she is the only one who could have hope, make a difference, and influence others. Take small steps and make them bigger with frequent posts, discussions, and volunteerism.

Stay hopeful: The key ingredient to every piece of advice from Dr. Jane Goodall is to maintain and exude hope. She did this in every message, despite the dire nature of some warnings and her admonishment that human habits were hurting the Earth. She felt that while aggression was innate in all primates, including humans, the pull to love and hope was equally strong, with humans possessing the ability to find logical solutions to problems caused by humans. As she showed throughout her existence, we must always have hope in mankind and all creatures.

I am still left with the feeling that there will be very few like Jane Goodall. And just like that, I can see her gently shaking her head "no" and encouraging us all to become like her. In fact, we can be better because if we choose to do a few simple things, the impact of our single life can lead to a healthier planet. May the life and spirit of Dr. Jane Goodall fill and motivate you as it has me.