How Do You Want to be Remembered?

How do you want people to view the life that you’ve led. Do you want to be remembered for the children you left behind, for the big corporation you created, or for the books that you’ve written?

Or would you be perfectly content with just being remembered as being a good person by the friends and family you love and care about?

This question on my mind as I sit here and wonder why I push so hard to try and make a better life for myself and my family. I wonder if it’s because I want to be remembered by people I don’t even know or if I want my family to know how hard I work to make them thrive.

I suppose there’s a fine line. Sure, I could sit here and boast about how I love my family and everything I do is for my children and my husband and on and on and on. But being honest with myself is half the battle.

I suppose there’s a small part of me that hopes that other people see what I have accomplished or what I can accomplish. I hope that I’m able to inspire others and to help others with their success throughout their time on this circular rock. Since those are wants that I have… I have to assume that I want people who don’t know me to remember me, right?

What about you? Do you think that you wish for other people to remember what you have done for the world? Even if it’s something you would consider small or insignificant? Wouldn’t it make you smile if someone walked up to you that you didn’t know and just came out and said thank you?

What would be even more exciting is if you had no idea what the person was thinking you for.

We all in some way shape or form want to be remembered. Not so much admired but remembered. We want to impact someone’s life in a way that’s positive. And although we think of this as something kind for someone else, a lot of the time it’s more selfish than selfless.

Think about when you do something nice for someone else and they don’t say thank you. Do you get mad? And if you do get mad, do you know why? You start to think things like, “I did this nice thing for this person, and they don’t even care.” Now if you were truly doing that nice thing out of the kindness of your heart, what does it matter if that person thanks you or not?

I agree that it is the correct thing to do, to respond to positivity with positivity. However, I’m also a realist. I know that no matter how kind, sweet, or helpful I am. Not everyone will be that way in return.

Back to my original thought, of leaving our mark on this world. If you’re a parent, your children are probably what you consider to be your best contribution to this world. I fall into that group of people.

My young ones will live long after I’m gone and I’m sure they’ll remember me for the things that I did for them. A lot of the time, that’s more than enough for me to be content with the contributions I’ve made. However, a small portion of the time, I like to think that there is something else that I can leave. Something that other people can learn from or expand off of.

Maybe that does make me selfish. But then again, maybe it also makes me human.

🧡Shine Bright, Kayla