Richest Person in the Graveyard

Every time I see that a very wealthy person has died (as the founder of Tim Hortons did this month), I think to myself, “Congratulations, you’re now the richest person in the entire graveyard.”  What an honour to occupy such an illustrious address and have such a glorious headstone.

My point is that finances are not the (only) measure of a successful life.

So, when your life is complete, what will really matter to you?

Bill Gates (one of the richest people in the world) noted his measures of a successful year in his final blog post of 2018.  They were:

1. Did I devote enough time to my family?
2. Did I learn enough new things?
3. Did I develop new friendships and deepen old ones?

He added one more, courtesy of Warren Buffet which was:

“Do the people you care about love you back?”

Now, he doesn’t really need to worry about paying the mortgage like the rest of us do, and he devoted (and still devotes) his life to accomplishing things.

But don’t lose sight of the bigger picture.  Do the people who know you best respect and love you?  Are you in right relationship with people around you, as much as that lies within your power?  Are you growing and getting better as a person?

While you sift through the sand and gravel that’s on your plate this week, don’t forget to pay attention to the big rocks.