We live our lives in a certain way, but hope we’ll be remembered differently.
We strive for accomplishment, for success, fame, notoriety; the bigger and better of everything. All great things. All things that move us “forward”. And, as long as we make sure we let everyone know what we have, where we’ve been and who we’ve been there with, all is good in our world. Oh! Don’t forget about the “likes”; mustn’t forget about the “likes”.
We’ve created a “selfie society”.
Why?
Because we’re building our resume.
We’re trying to stack on and tack on as many things as we can that shout out why we’re great; why we’re better. The shortfall; we’ve become indifferent to humility.
Self-awareness has been replaced with just “self”. The consequence of which is nothing more than a kamikaze mission. We’re trying to pad our stats with jobs, houses, vacations and bank accounts. But, when that push comes to the final shove, how would you rather read?
Ever heard this before: “(the departed) will be remembered for his three door garage and many tweets about the different meals he ate. All those cars and calories sure made him a great person”? Hmmm, probably not.
We’re building our resume for a job we’re destined to be let go from. And, the cost is human kindness. Our careers have become more important than our compassion. It seems, no one ever measured self-worth in how thoughtful they were; or, at least they never posted it on facebook. Yet, without doubt, I’ll bet we all hope what gets said about us, how we’re remembered, at our final curtain call surrounds benevolence, caring and generosity.
It’s been said that, “it’s not what you do, it’s how you do it”. But, it’s actually both. It has to be. It goes back to self-awareness and humility. It goes back to asking yourself real questions like, “why I am doing this?” and “how am I going about it?”
You don’t have to change the world, you just have to change yourself.
Write your own eulogy, don’t depend on someone else to do it.
Be Love.
Thank you to David Brooks for inspiring this.
