When you look back on your life so far, do you have one accomplishment that stands out above all others? What have you accomplished on this Earth that’s notable? Most of us have never invented a life-saving drug or written an acclaimed book that changed the world. Still, life is a series of accomplishments; we are moving forward somehow after all. So which one is your most special monumental event?
I can think of things I’ve done that I’m proud of – like being inducted into Phi Beta Kappa or completing a 400-mile bike ride by myself. But if asked for my best accomplishment on my deathbed, I would want it to be something that wasn’t about, or for, me – something that says I wasn’t just taking up space here. So looking through that lens, there are two accomplishments that come to mind.
The first is that I introduced my brother to his wife-to-be, a college friend of mine. I always knew I was supposed to do that and because I did it, two people have been enjoying a happy marriage & happy life for 25 years. The second was ‘helping’ my old boyfriend die. At age 42, he was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma and I knew immediately it was to be his death story. What makes this a notable accomplishment is that even after I learned some awful things about his character as he grew more ill, I set them aside and continued to help him. At the end, it was a gift most people would say he didn’t deserve. And that’s what makes it a great accomplishment to me. It was selfless. It wasn’t about me.
I can think of things I’ve done that I’m proud of – like being inducted into Phi Beta Kappa or completing a 400-mile bike ride by myself. But if asked for my best accomplishment on my deathbed, I would want it to be something that wasn’t about, or for, me – something that says I wasn’t just taking up space here. So looking through that lens, there are two accomplishments that come to mind.
The first is that I introduced my brother to his wife-to-be, a college friend of mine. I always knew I was supposed to do that and because I did it, two people have been enjoying a happy marriage & happy life for 25 years. The second was ‘helping’ my old boyfriend die. At age 42, he was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma and I knew immediately it was to be his death story. What makes this a notable accomplishment is that even after I learned some awful things about his character as he grew more ill, I set them aside and continued to help him. At the end, it was a gift most people would say he didn’t deserve. And that’s what makes it a great accomplishment to me. It was selfless. It wasn’t about me.