What really matters
Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end. There will be no
more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected,
whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It
will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. Your grudges,
resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.
So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire. The
wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won't
matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at
the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even
your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.
So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured? What
will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you
got, but what you gave. What will matter is not your success, but your
significance. What will matter is not what you learned, but what you
taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or
sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your
example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character. What will
matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a
lasting loss when you're gone. What will matter is not your memories,
but the memories that live in those who loved you. What will matter is
how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a
matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life that
matters. It really matters.
"To live content with small means, to seek elegance rather than
luxury, and refinement rather than fashion, to be worthy, not
respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk
gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages,
with open hearts; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await
occasions, never hurry. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and
unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony."
--William Henry
"To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; This is to have succeeded."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
So many times in life we get so caught up in our day to day functions we forget about what really matters. We forget to stop and smell the roses as it were. But then an event comes along that slaps us in the face and makes us realise that shit doesnt really matter. And somehow my insignifigance gives me comfort because "all we are is dust in the wind." It helps me appreciate the things that actually matter. Somehow being here at Catawba helps reminds me of that, and for that, I am thankfull.
more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected,
whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It
will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. Your grudges,
resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.
So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire. The
wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won't
matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at
the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even
your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.
So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured? What
will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you
got, but what you gave. What will matter is not your success, but your
significance. What will matter is not what you learned, but what you
taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or
sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your
example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character. What will
matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a
lasting loss when you're gone. What will matter is not your memories,
but the memories that live in those who loved you. What will matter is
how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a
matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life that
matters. It really matters.
"To live content with small means, to seek elegance rather than
luxury, and refinement rather than fashion, to be worthy, not
respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk
gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages,
with open hearts; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await
occasions, never hurry. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and
unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony."
--William Henry
"To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; This is to have succeeded."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
So many times in life we get so caught up in our day to day functions we forget about what really matters. We forget to stop and smell the roses as it were. But then an event comes along that slaps us in the face and makes us realise that shit doesnt really matter. And somehow my insignifigance gives me comfort because "all we are is dust in the wind." It helps me appreciate the things that actually matter. Somehow being here at Catawba helps reminds me of that, and for that, I am thankfull.