When I was in high school, I was deathly afraid that I wouldn’t make any notable marks on this earth.
I was passionless and void of direction.
Everyone else seemed so inspired and driven compared to my lazy self.
It genuinely scared me each time I had to think about what I wanted, because having no idea how to reply when asked “What do you want to do?” was like admitting to myself that I was lost.
All I knew was that I didn’t want to be forgotten when I was gone. I wanted to impact personal lives and be remembered for it.
Ask anyone what their sole purpose is in life and you will never hear anyone answer that they wish to live a life of mediocrity.
It’s just not in our DNA.
You can be lazy and unproductive but it’s not because you want to lead a boring, plain life.
You procrastinate or refuse to leave your bed because you don’t feel the flame that drives you in the present moment.
Deep down, you want something more. And you know it.
The problem is that it always feels like there’s enough time to accomplish something great.
But the timer is ticking. Life is freakishly short.
The hands on the clock don’t freeze when you look away and pretend the world isn’t moving on without you.
There’s something inside of us all that craves challenge.
It tells us we’re meant to do something that not only feeds us but to make it a talking point that wows others.
We all want to be excellent and to lead a meaningful life worth talking about.
What ruins it all is how easy it is to create excuses.
We blame age, our lack of connections, or just plain dumb luck.
Perfect examples of a well-fulfilled life are all around us but we look at them and formulate excuses.
Deep down, we all want to be extraordinary. We want to be remembered while we’re living, but we also want to leave a lasting impact on the world long after we depart.
Why do we want to start our own families? So we can pass on our legacy.
Why do we want to impress others with how awesome we are? So we’ll be the topic of discussion over dinner.
Anyone who tells you they don’t care about what mark they leave on earth is lying. Call them out on their bullshit once or twice (with tact).
Take advantage of the present and leave something behind that will not only make you remembered but also changes the lives of others for the better.
Are you asking me for examples now? Here are a few:
Share your ideas with the world by writing a book.
Get on stage and spread your message in front of a captivated audience.
Create a website with the intent of sharing a message you believe in.
Build a lasting business.
None of the above are easy. It’ll be challenging and that’s what makes it exciting.
Anything that calls out to you so loudly that your ears ring is exactly what you should be doing.
Cement yourself as legend.
Totally agree with you. People who say they don’t care about leaving a mark on this planet are lying. As you said take action change other peoples lifes for the better and leave your legacy on this planet leave something that people can look up to and follow through be SOMEONE and don’t waste your life. Great article keep it up!
Cheers
Thanks, Timo! 🙂
Vincent,
Great quote to dwell on…
“Anything that calls out to you so loudly that your ears ring is exactly what you should be doing.”
Thanks for the insightful post.
And thanks for reading and joining us in the comments!
I like your post full of ideas which are simple and worth sharing . If we have confidence and supportive family we can do all what we want and for lack of support we cannot support ourselves if we have our own family responsibilities . We live for others sometimes and dreams do not always come true .
You’ve gotta support yourself either way, I think! You can’t rely on others all the time. Eventually, you’ve gotta pull some weight.
Spoken like a mother. I, too, am one and know exactly what you’re saying, Shashi. People making great success of themselves have others on their life working behind the scenes to help them reach their goals. Not everyone can be a superstar!
I needed that inspiration. Thanks. Onwards again. ?
Yes!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time.
VIII
Footprints, that, perhaps another,
Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwreck’d brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again…..”
this sums up all you said…..
Nice!
Awesome, motivating post!
I believe the biggest reason so many people remain in mediocrity is because it’s the easy way out. It’s so easy to just go with the flow, doing what everyone else is doing and achieving what everyone else is achieving.
To stand out and go against the flow of society takes a lot of effort – most people just choose the path of least resistance, which naturally leads to mediocrity.
I agree! The allure of comfort is very loud sometimes. But the silence due to lack of outstanding success is more deafening, in my opinion.
amazinnnng writing
Thanks!
Hey Vincent,
Great article, like always. I really like the idea of leaving something of a lasting nature behind every day. It’s a really grounding idea, to help be in the moment and cherish every day.
Going to share this for inspiration.
Best,
JL
Awesome, spread it far and wide! 🙂
What you’re describing is 1st world psychosis and the need to feel significant amid such wealth and prosperity. It really speaks to the ego-centric, entitlement mentality so common in western cultures.
Most people in the world don’t have the luxury of striving for recognition and making a lasting mark on the world as they are barely scrape by trying to feed and provide shelter for their families.
Addressed the same comment in a private email:
“Excellent argument. I’ve thought about that and fully accept that I
can never fully cover any basis that will also envelop the third world
as well.
People reading my articles (presumably) have their most basic needs
being met. The fact they’re reading the site is proof of that.
Those are the people I aim to inspire as they’re the ones I can reach
with my website. :)”
Most people indeed don’t have such a luxury, but would you actually say (with absolute certainty) that they don’t dare dream of more? More than just having enough food. I mean making something that’s impactful both in their own lives and others?
Call me naive but perhaps we should give the 3rd world more credit.
And I’m not sure there’s a case to be made about entitlement mentalities. To feel entitled would mean sitting on your hands expecting for something great to happen. I encourage people to get out there and make it happen.
My site isn’t for the entitled. It’s for people who take action.