Four years ago, my maternal grandfather passed away, and I was fortunate to be there with a few of my family members to witness his transition. It was the most powerful thing I will probably ever see in my life. He went from a comatose state caused by aspiration pneumonia to suddenly opening his eyes and looking at us all. His cheeks flushed, and he flashed the most glorious smile. And then, seconds later, he took his last breath and he was gone.
Months after he passed, I had the most vivid dream that I was speaking to him in his home, but I consciously knew that I was speaking to his spirit. I asked him this tough and complex question: "What is life really all about?" He gave me a one-word response: "Others."
"The measure of your life will not be in what you accumulate but in what you give away."
-Wayne W. Dyer, the late self-help and spiritual author and a motivational speaker
I was so blown away from the simplicity of my grandfather's answer and the profoundness of what he said. All the things that we often try to put all of our focus on in life including success, status and money, and how we look, don't really matter in the scheme of things if we don't know how to love and respect one another. All of those things we are achieving can disappear from our lives in the blink of an eye, and then what are we left with? Nothing. If there's no love in our hearts, we have nothing to give. We can't shine our joy to others. Our joy cup is empty.
Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes How do you measure? Measure a year? In daylights, In sunsets, In midnights, In cups of coffee, In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes How do you measure a year in a life? How about love? Measure in love...
Lyrics from Seasons of Love by Jonathan D. Larson from the Broadway musical, Rent
So how should our lives really be measured? The lyrics above say it perfectly...our lives should be measured in love. It doesn't mean we forget about our dreams and the things we want to achieve. It means that while we are pursuing those things, we don't lose sight of what really matters most in life.
Here's my challenge for you today: don't lead with your achievements, status, and all the things you may have. Lead with love. That's what others will remember the most about you in life.
Shine on, my friends!
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