Book Ponder

When You Die, Will Anyone Remember You?

Whatever goal you are working towards, it’s hard to stay motivated and on the path. One thing that works for me is asking, What is the legacy I am going to leave behind? How am I going to be remembered?

There are two paths in life. One is the path of comfort, where you do the bare minimum to get by and enjoy your life as much as possible without hardship. It is more respectful to choose this path willingly rather than go down this path while talking about taking the road less traveled. You can still be a good human and live a fulfilling life on this path, but you most likely won’t leave a lasting legacy. If this lifestyle resonates with you and you decide to settle for a comfortable life, then your journey ends here. The reading that follows is for those who want to be more than mediocre and live a life worth remembering.

Avoid the Middle Ground

Being stuck in the middle is the worst thing you can do. This is the person talking about living a life worth a legacy, but their actions are those of someone living a mediocre life. I’m as guilty as anyone else with this, but I refuse to give in and settle for a mediocre life. As my 40th birthday nears, I value time more and more each day, but it’s still not enough. There is always room for improvement.

You must choose which life you are going to live.

So, now that you have decided not to live a mediocre life, how do you maintain that fire to do all that must be done to fulfill your goals?

Live Like Your Heroes Are Watching

A concept that will keep you grounded and on the path to becoming better is to act as if (God) or whatever you believe in is watching. If you aren’t religious, then use someone you respect and want to make a good impression on. Imagine if they had a camera on you, watching your every move. What would they think? Would you act differently? Act as if you are constantly being watched.

“Imagine that your own ancestors—of blood and of bravery—are standing here, watching you, protecting you. Remind yourself what they would do right here and right now. You can’t let them down. So be braver. Right now. Here, in this decisive moment.”

Ryan Holiday

Study the Lives You Admire

As an avid reader, my favorite parts of books are the first quarter of a biography. The part that shows the journey. I don’t want to hear about what people do once they make it; that doesn’t help me at all. I want to read about the struggle, the adversity they had to overcome, and the dedication that it took to achieve their goals. The main takeaway I always get from this part of biographies is the urgency and intensity that was put towards working towards their goals. Cal Newport emphasizes a similar point, where he says that great people in history work so hard at something that others can’t fathom and assume they must be naturally gifted.

Pick someone you admire, dead or alive, and research their life. I guarantee that the majority of them wasted very little time and poured all their resources into becoming successful. That’s what it takes: you must sacrifice something. A life of comfort won’t get you to where you want to be.

Prove Your Legacy Through Action

No one will remember you from your words without actions. In Lives of the Stoics, Ryan Holiday has a great quote about leaving a legacy.

“It’s a reminder all these years later for everyone considering their legacy. It’s not what you say that lives on after your time; it’s not what you write or even what you build. It’s the example that you set. It’s the things that you live by.”

Ryan Holiday

This encourages you to focus on taking action on things and stop constantly just talking about the things you are going to accomplish.

How Will You Be Remembered?

If nothing up until this point was enough to move you to live a life worth remembering, then I leave you with this quote that I constantly return to when doubt creeps in and I feel myself slowly falling back to mediocrity.

At the end of my life, will anyone know that I came this way? What will my gravestone say? Will my descendants tell stories about me?

If the answer to those questions is not one you want, then you still have work to do.

Start today, write down your short-term and long-term goals, and make a detailed step-by-step plan to achieve them. There are no shortcuts, you must do the work.

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Book Ponder focuses on the incredible power of reading, and even though stand-alone articles like these are unique ideas, I like to credit any books that inspired or gave me the resources for the idea.