Titles or Testimonies

READY8 “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” ~ Pericles

AIM8 There was a time in my life that my friends and I would tease each other that “The one who dies with the most titles wins!” We were constantly surrounded by people who were earning college degrees, becoming important professionals in society, winning awards within their organizations or serving on various committees at their churches. Some people were actually seeking titles to make themselves feel and appear more important…even though they would never admit it.
We all acquire titles as we journey through life. We can get titles from work, school, organizations, church and everyday life. Eventually each one of us will pass away. When your time arrives, what do you want the message on your tombstone to say? Do you want all those important titles listed because they defined who you were? Or would you rather have people simply remember you for what you did and how you personally affected them?
Life is short; too short for placing unnecessary value in the simple letters we list behind our names. What matters most is what you do while you are “the title.” If you are a professional, how do you treat your customers and clients? If you are a volunteer, how do you interact with the people you are helping? Even if you don’t have special letters behind your name…how will people remember you? What is your testimony?

FIRE!8 Take a personal inventory of your life. Do your titles really define who you want to be? Make a commitment today to live your life so that the conversations about you (even at your funeral) are positive and uplifting because you made a difference.

Be Excellent!
Lori