WHAT WILL MATTER IN THE END

W hat does it matter if you:
H ave wealth, fame and power?
A ll your hopes, plans, ambitions, they too will soon expire
T he wins and losses that you thought were so important

W ill soon be no longer and just fade away
I t is what you built and not what you bought
L et integrity, compassion, courage and sacrifice
L ead you to enrich, encourage others

M ore important your character than what’s your competence
*A re you ready or not, it will all come to an end
T here will be no more sunrise, minutes hours or days
T he grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies
E ventually all these will disappear
R eally it is about significance

I t’s
N ot success or

T he number of people that you knew
H ow do we leave
E nduring legacy?

E ventually it’s about CHOICE and
N ot just by
D efault

Sing to the tune of "He Lives" hymn

From:
What will Matter? By Michael Josephson
Josephson Institute of Ethics

by Michael Josephson


Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.


There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten
will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations
and jealousies will finally disappear.
So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won't matter where you came from
or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.
It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.


So what will matter?
How will the value of your days be measured?


What will matter is not what you bought
but what you built, not what you got but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success
but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned
but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity,
compassion, courage, or sacrifice
that enriched, empowered or encouraged others
to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence
but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew,
but how many will feel a lasting loss when your gone.

What will matter is not your memories
but the memories that live in those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered,
by whom and for what.


Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.