Live a Life that Matters
(Author unknown)
Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
It will not matter what you owned nor what you were owed.
Frustrations, annoyances and jealousies will all disappear.
So, too, hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived.
At the end it won't even matter if you were male or female, beautiful or brilliant,
prince or pauper.
So what will matter?
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 success, 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.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a
lasting loss when you're gone.
And the memories that live in those who loved you.
Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
So why not choose to live a life that matters?"
John Longstaff
03/10/2024
