- [Shaz] What is a successful life?
(gentle music)
To answer this question,
we must observe the paradox of our priorities.
How we pursue lifestyles built on our resumes.
Yet as we knowingly approach death,
we yearn to be remembered by every quality,
except that resume.
You see, during the course of our lives
we seek success of every tangible sort.
But when it comes to looking back
on a life once lived, those tangible things,
the measuring cups of our entire existence
seem emptier than ever.
I have never read nor have I written
a eulogy that expressed how accomplished a person was
or how brilliant of a worker they were.
Even the most celebrated innovators
are not eulogized by the impact of their inventions,
but by their motives, the bonds they formed,
acts of kindness, and what they meant
to the people around them.
So if you wonder what a successful life really feels like,
all you have to do is close your eyes
and think about what you want your eulogy to sound like.
What words will be used by loved ones
describing and celebrating your legacy when you die?
List those words.
Internalize this list, memorize it, stare at it everyday.
What you're staring at
is your personal definition of success.
It sounds crazy, but everything else you're pursuing,
everything else you whine and worry about is secondary.
And if you're going to do those secondary things,
make sure they serve your list.
Make sure they increase your capacity
to live by those qualities.
Stop chasing things that aren't on your list.
Because that list is all you have
and that, my friends, is the only way
to live a successful life with intent, not regret.
What's on your list?
(upbeat music)