What Message Will You Leave Behind

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There is a saying that there are only two things certain in life: Death and Taxes.
Everything else is a mystery. Everyone that you know and everyone that you will ever know are not going to be around forever.

Since we are all human, we have a lifespan and limited time on this planet. Some people become leaders of nations, doctors, builders or scientists. There are others who just stay afloat without becoming anything while life passes them by. There are even people who become dicators and destoyers of nations.

What have you done with your life? What are you doing with your life right now? What are you going to do with your life from now on?

I think that these are three important questions to ask yourself and I think that the answers are even more important. My friend Glen and I had planned to go to Europe together in the middle of last year. For 6 months we chatted on Skype almost everyday, making plans for the vacation and being excited for it to happen. As I am writing this we have been in Amsterdam for almost 7 weeks and more than half our trip has passed. That is almost 8 months that flew by since we planned the trip.

The reason that I mention this is because your entire life goes like this. Day by day, but before you know it years and decades have passed you by. If you have no clear plan of how you want to live (or are conciously taking action to change your life to the way you want it to be), then you may just end up with a bunch of regrets when you are older and nearing your last days.

What Are You Living For?

Why do you wake up in the morning? What inspires you to be full of energy and ready to tackle whatever comes your way? What makes you want to really live, move mountains and share your love with the world?

It is so easy to get caught up in routines and resposibilities and turn into a robot. Wake up, get dressed, go to work, eat, come back home, watch tv, go to bed. It’s possible to get so stuck in this cycle that you don’t even think about other possibilities anymore. This is passive living, letting life pass you by while you switch yourself off.

It should be a joy to get up in the morning. Your life should be structured in such a way that you are actively working towards your goals or to changing your life so that you can achieve your goals. I’m not excluding anyone from this idea. I am well aware that there are many different people in many different situations around the world, some a lot less pleasant than others. However, I believe that anything is possible as long as you are alive, healthy and free. Where there is a will, there is a way. It may take months or years, but don’t give up hope. Have a plan and take things one day at a time. Make it your journey and your mission to feel alive. Have the desire to really live – whatever your definition of really living may be.

I think a secret of really living is not taking things for granted. Right now there is someone in the world who would like to be in your situation, no matter how bad you think your own life really is. The reasons of having a roof over your head, food in the fridge, family, friends, a healthy body are enough to just feel alive and be happy about. What about all the other cool things in your life that you take for granted?

Once you consciously stop to think about those good things that you take for granted, you immediately feel a lot happier and luckier to be alive. The realization of mortality and the fact that everything we are and have is not permanent makes it so much more enjoyable and respectable.

What Message Will You Leave Behind?

When your time is up and you leave this planet, what is the message that you want to leave behind? What is it that you would like people to say about you or remember you for?

Personally I would like to make some kind of big change for the better of our world. There are many things that could be improved ranging from poverty and starvation to the preservation of nature and our wildlife. I think it is a shame that we as a human race only consume and destroy instead of living in harmony with our planet and leaving it preserved for future generations to come. I have no idea what I am going to do or how I’m going to achieve it, but that is one big goal that I am working towards.

Anything that you are remembered for will eventually fade too. You may be remembered for 2, 3 or even 4 generations, but after that very few people will remember you. The exceptions being if you change the course of history (hopefully for the better and not for the worse). Music, movies, massive scientific discoveries and freeing or building nations are the kind of things you will be remembered for many decades after you pass. Think of Achilles, Julius Caesar, Rembrand, Bob Marley and Albert Einstein. (A strange combination of people, I know).

There is no need to be remembered for anything if you don’t want to be. You have one life and it’s yours to live and yours to enjoy. If you just want to live, do the things you love, make people happy and make the most of your time on earth then feel free to do so. All I’d like you to do is to be aware of how you are living your life. Make a conscious decision of your goals, dreams and passions and then live your life accordingly.

I have met quite a few people who have realized this way too late in their lives and they would have done many things differently.

The thought I would like to leave you with is this one:
How are you going to make a difference in this world and are you enjoying the way you are living your life?

It’s never too late to make changes and take action to live the way you really want to live.