You'll Die And Be Forgotten
Live For Yourself
The Queen of England died a little over a year ago. How many times have you thought about her since then? She was the fricken QUEEN for 70 years! In the year since she passed, I’ve thought of her maybe twice.
And even when I think of her, I know nothing at all about what she did while she was alive. This pattern has been true forever. Think of Marcus’s words:
“So many who were remembered already forgotten, and those who remembered them long gone” (7.6)
People want to be remembered a certain way. Both when they’re alive and when they’re dead. So we curate our actions and are careful with our words to not hurt our legacy. That’s fine. But it’s important to think of the costs.
The costs are the dreams you don’t chase, the words you don’t speak, and the people you don’t converse with. When you catch yourself avoiding specific actions or people, ask yourself why.
Are you holding your tongue because you’re not sure you’re right or because you’re worried someone might not like what you say?
Are you spending your days doing work you hate because you worry how others will perceive you if you stop?
Yes, I agree there are exceptions. You could be working a job you hate now so you can get a promotion to a job you like later. Just make sure that next job is worth it.
All I’m asking is that when you think of all the people judging your life, remember only one person’s judgment matters. Your own.
Because everyone will forget you. And soon everyone who forgets you will also be forgotten. That is the cycle of life. You have about 80 good years - live them for you.
Brains Gains
Do you like how you spend your days? Why?
Go live a day for you. Spend your day enjoying more and worrying less. You have complete control of your mind. So use it.
Your biggest fan,
Noah “BigNerd” Sochaczevski
PS. I wrote a longer form piece called Not Letting Life Just Happen. As usual there’s an audio recording. Feel free to check it out and let me know what you think.
PPS. Today, November 14 Reading: Pages 93-102