THE ONE ABOUT HOW I WANT TO LIVE MY LIFE

Got this off an email that I read today. Although it is somewhat cliche, it is still something to ponder...

Ready or not,
some day it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises, no
minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or
forgotten will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal
power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you
were owed.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will
finally disappear. So too, your 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 what side of the tracks you
lived on at the end.

It won't matter whether you were beautiful or
brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what
will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

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 to emulate your
example.

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.

What will matter is not your
memories but the memories that live in those who loved you.

What will
matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a
life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance
but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.