What will you be remembered for?

Be a life long or short, its completeness depends on what it was lived for. – David Starr Jordan

Two complete dullards are walking past Isaac Newton's tomb. The first one looks at the tombstone and drawls out the dates (1642 – 1727). The second guy goes like "Hey, who is Newton". The other, quite happy to demonstrate his superior knowledge says "You mean you don't know Newton? He formulated the three laws of motion, proposed the theory of universal gravitation, He..." The second guy cuts him short by saying – "you mean he did all that in the little dash between those dates?"

Probably sounds quite funny and a little dumb, but it really is the truth.

I am not trying to be a prophet of doom, but one day death will come knocking at your door, and somewhere on your tombstone will go the dates, 19xy – 2xyz (someone reading this might just live till the next century). What would you want that little dash between the dates to describe? Have you ever asked yourself how you want to be remembered when your time here is up? Were you the family comedian, or the guy who affected and improved lives?

You don't get to choose how you're going to die, or when. You can only decide how you are going to live. Now! – Joan Baez

As Joan Baez argues above, you do not have a choice when or how you will die (except you are contemplating suicide). As far as life and death are concerned, you can only get to choose how you are going to live and where you go after you die here, and you get to make that choice now...

Wale Osideinde proposes that one of the greatest abilities we have as humans is the ability to choose. Sadly, a lot of people go through their lives without taking cognizance of this fact. A lot of people live life as it comes, just going from day to day. Listen to what Philip Larkin thinks.

Life has a practice of living you, if you don't live it. – Philip Larkin

Life must be lived, whether you choose to live it or not. As a result of this, life will live you – but that is if you don't live it. Think about that. Look for example at a student who chooses not to do any academic work, he doesn't attend his classes or read his textbooks; it follows that he will fail. One thing that a lot of people fail to take note of is that things naturally tend towards a state of higher disorganization. What I mean is that without any input to the contrary, life tends to make a dash in a downhill direction!

It follows that we have to do positive work to keep our lives on an uphill direction. You cannot just sit by, and allow life to live you. Yes, there will be things that will be beyond your control – like that 3 hour traffic jam and stuff like that. However, you can choose how you respond to 'un-controllable' incidents, because they are to be expected. In fact, it is really sick to think that you can be responsible for all that happens to you – but it is quite healthy to acknowledge that you are responsible for your response to all that happen.

You have to take responsibility for your life, and decide to live the best way you can.

I want to savour every 'today' that comes. I want to soak in every experience, every lesson, every memory... – Nike ALADE

Nike ALADE asked me once – "What does it mean to you to 'LIVE LIFE TO THE FULL'?" It got me thinking, and I would like to ask you that same question now – What does it mean to you to live life to the full?

When was the last time you looked at a sunrise, or a sunset? When was the last time you stood in the park and smelled some flowers? When was the last time you helped an old lady across a busy street? When was the last time you stood in the wind, and felt like you were rising and floating on her wings? When was the last time you played in the rain? Think about that. It is quite natural that my definition of living life to the full is different from yours, but have you ever taken the time to think about it and define an answer for yourself? Take some time out to reflect on your life the way it is, and ask – are the past few days of my life worth living for? Let's take that a step further, if you were to die tonight – was today worth it?

Live your life and forget your age. – Jean Paul

If we work hard and take responsibility, we will have a chance for a better life. – Barack Obama

In closing, I exhort – live your life and forget your age. Take responsibility for your life, no matter how many years you have spent on earth. Take the risk; remember that life itself is a risk. Raise the bar on yourself, and refuse to engage in low-life living or low-risk taking. Do not try to fill some other person's shoes, define your own size. Do not be what 'they' want you to be, become what God wants you to be. Refuse to bother living the life 'they' are expecting of you, live life the best way you can – and do it to the full!

In the words of Helen Keller - Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.

It follows that if you live life to the full; you cannot but be remembered for good. I chose to live my life to the full, what about you???