Recently, I gave an internal speech at PNC Bank to a group of young Financial Analysts who were pretty fresh out of college. Aside from being very alert and attentive, they asked some thought-provoking questions after I completed my ‘Endurance and Business’ segment. One in particular caught me a little off-guard:
“What do you want to be remembered for?”
Wow.
I answered it the best way I could, yet continued to think about it for the remainder of the evening and frequently ever since-
I want to be remembered for my charitable work, not my athletic feats;
I want to be remembered for the money I gave, not the money I saved;
I want to be remembered for never giving up in the face of adversity – no matter the difficulty;
I want to be remembered for inspiring a generation who society taught to only care about themselves;
I want to be remembered for doing the right thing, even when I felt the world was against me.
A question like this I believe is something we should all have an answer for, and if not, I believe you have to ask yourself what is really important to you in life. No one wants to ever think about death; however I truly believe it is the only way we really understand life. We all have someone close to us that we have lost who left us ‘before their time’ and hopefully we chose to remember that person and keep them close in our heart. As I’ve stated many times, my ‘Grammy’ is my hero, and aside from my heart and mind, she is always on my side, with her initials and date of death engraved with the “Forever” rib tattoo dedicated to the song which always reminds me of her. She is, and always will be my motivation.
In a society obsessed with movie super heroes, celebrity gossip and ‘weak’ music, perhaps the question we need to ask is, “why not become a super hero yourself, to inspire and motivate others?” Sure, none of us can actually be Super Man, however you can be the ‘super man’ (or woman) in someone’s life; perhaps an elderly member of society you have taken to assist, or a young child in need of your support. In turn, their gratitude of your time and energy is worth more than anything money can buy.
My mother asked me today, “Do you ever get tired of being run down from everything you do?” Hell no. I love aligning myself with those who struggle, because I love the hard life. My ancestors all worked hard; in the mines, the military or other various blue-collar jobs. They all had their way of working hard, and I have my charitable work to honor their sacrifices. Never be afraid to work hard in life; be afraid of becoming someone who takes the easy road…
KEEP YOUR HEAD UP.
GOD GIVES HIS HARDEST BATTLES TO HIS TOUGHEST SOLDIERS.
Before you head to bed tonight, take a look in the mirror and ask yourself “How do I want to be remembered?” If you struggle with a weak answer, it’s time to make something of the beautiful life you have been given. Be the ‘soldier’ you want others to aspire to be… It is NOTHING YOU CANNOT HANDLE!