Take a minute to meditate on this thought.

What do you want to be remembered for?

Is it wealth? Is it the flashy cars or the boats or homes? Is it your determination or grit? Is it the long hours you’ve worked or the awards you’ve won?

Think about the things that matter most in your life.

It’s a deep question. It’s not easy to answer. It may make you question what you’re currently doing. Take time to think it over.

Maybe you’d like to be remembered for your generosity. Maybe it’s for the impact and innovation you’ve made in a particular field. Maybe you want to be remembered as a great father or mother.

If you want to be remembered as a helpful, caring person why are you chasing after money?

You’ll start to put things into perspective once you figure out what you care about most. Everything else fades away. You start to focus more on what matters and avoid other areas you used to care deeply about.

Who cares if other people your age are perceived to be more “successful”?

Your success is determined by what you truly want not by what others think of you.

If you want the flashy cars and other material possessions that’s completely fine. Focus on achieving material wealth.

If you want to cure a disease or create a company, don’t get caught up in the minutiae of other people’s lives. They have different goals. They want to be remembered for something completely different than you. You’re comparing apples to oranges.

Whatever you end up choosing, keep that statement in mind as you go throughout each day.

Are your actions in line with what you want to be remembered for?

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” -Epicurus