The Story Of Your Life

Dedicated to the life of Mr. Nelson Mandela, whose life is an inspiration to me and whose story will be retold for many centuries to come.

When the story of your life is written, no one will care which team you supported. Or where you shopped. No one will care if you went to the "big" game, or the "big" sale. It won't matter how much money you saved shopping at discount stores, or how much you spent on tickets and jerseys.

No one will remember or care who you voted for on Idol, or Dancing with the Stars or Survivor. No one will care that you played Call of Duty, or even that you ran out to buy a gun after 20 children were murdered with one.

No one will remember that you wished things were different.

No one will remember you for that day you spent hours in line or online to save a few dollars on stuff made with slave and child labor. They won't care that you meant well, or that you donated a few dollars to United Way.

No one will remember that you loved the idea of fairness, equality and justice, but were too busy to do anything about it.

What will matter is what you actually stood for. How you changed the world. How you left your mark. What you actually did is all that will matter.

Think about who you admire. Who you remember. Who you are grateful existed. And then honor them with your life, your action, your ability and your values.

Don't tell me you don't have time, because I know how little time we have.

Every day I am faced with one less day to accomplish what needs to be done. And it breaks my heart. The reality of the shortness of human life is one I cannot escape.

To wake up every day and realize that now I have one less day with my daughter, one less day to be heard, one less day to make a difference is maddening.

We only have so many days to be remembered by. Only so many days to create our story.

And I am going to ask you, who will write the story of your life and will it be worth repeating?