What Drives You?

I like to spend some time with introspection. It's my form of meditation.

What I've been giving a lot of thought to lately is the reason and purpose we as humans do what we do on a daily basis. Charles Duhigg in his book The Power of Habit discusses the things we do without even thinking: brushing our teeth, showering, driving to work, etc. While I think it's fascinating to dive deeper into habits and how to form them, that's not where I spend my time.

Another book I read recently was the Greg McKeown book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. He was a speaker at 2018’s Catalyst University, and his message hit me at the perfect time. The key here is to focus on what you’re best at and what will get you to where you’re going, but you’ll have to say NO a lot… which isn’t the easiest action for me.

I have lived by the credo that the world should be better because I was here. I think that's the best compliment anyone can be given, although it usually comes in a eulogy. I've joined boards, committees, and otherwise volunteer because I believe in the non-profits I'm partnering with and that they're making a difference in someone else's life. I've gone out of my way to sponsor interns and mentor youth in the area because I believe that everyone needs an individual or group of individuals to learn from. 

So my question to you is this... when you die, and someone is giving your eulogy, what will they say about you? Will they sugarcoat it because it's not the place to air dirty laundry, or will they be sincere in saying the world is better because you were in it?