What matters most to you in life? Many of us are so busy doing and producing we forget to remember the essence of why we are on this earth and how the value of our days on earth will be measured.
Here is a poem by Michael Josephson that brings clarity to me about my choices I can make in my life.
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 onto 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 list will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won’t matter where you came from, 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 successes 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 knew you but how many feel a lasting loss when your 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.
May I suggest . . . . . go for a quiet walk or sit in your meditation and ask yourself today, don’t wait . . . .
“HOW WILL THE VALUE OF MY DAYS BE REMEMBERED?”
Namaste. May the reverence in me salute the reverence in you.
Barb
Peaceful tree at the top of Haleakala – Hawaii – November 2012