How Will You Be Remembered?

When I was growing up, my grandma (aka Grammy) used to live with us. Every once in awhile I would see her at the dining room table or sitting in her favorite chair reading the newspaper. I would ask her what she was reading and she would usually give me a silly answer, “I am searching for the obituaries to see if my name is here.”

Of course, it wasn’t but it would make me think…how, when the day comes and I leave this earth…how would people remember me? How would I WANT people to remember me?

The following short illustration which I found on Great Motivations is a great reminder of the legacy that we will leave behind someday. 

“About a hundred years ago, a man looked at the morning newspaper and to his surprise and horror, read his name in the obituary column. The newspapers had reported the death of the wrong person by mistake. His first response was shock. Am I here or there? When he regained his composure, his second thought was to find out what people had said about him. The obituary read, “Dynamite King Dies.” And also “He was the merchant of death.” This man was the inventor of dynamite and when he read the words “merchant of death,” he asked himself a question, “Is this how I am going to be remembered?” He got in touch with his feelings and decided that this was not the way he wanted to be remembered. From that day on, he started working toward peace. His name was Alfred Nobel and he is remembered today by the great Nobel Prize.

Just as Alfred Nobel got in touch with his feelings and redefined his values, we should step back and do the same.”

What is your legacy?

How would you like to be remembered?

Will you be spoken well of?

Will you be remembered with love and respect?

Will you be missed?

Remember, take the time each and every day to build and improve your character. How will you be remembered by your family and friends?