Do you ever wonder what it is you’re remembered for? What is the one thing people keep in mind after they first meet you? What do your close friends say about you? Any idea what your acquaintances from work and school really thought about you? I wonder about this stuff all the time.
Perhaps I need more jobs to fill my time.
Perhaps I’m being vain. Perhaps a second thought is never given to me. Maybe my interactions with others are quickly overlooked. Would you be disappointed to learn that people forgot about you as quickly as they met you? As I sit and ponder this I then think about how I treat others.
Perhaps I think too much?
How do I interact with others? Do I always treat people with respect? Do I always act in a manner in which I’d be proud? Or my parents would be proud? If someone were to interview the people in my life what would they say? Am I nice, funny, selfish, arrogant, kind, cheerful, cold, insincere? Would they say “oh yeah, Devin was a good guy” or would they say “great guy”? Neither?
I really don’t know what people have, do, and will think about me. I’ve asked some people before but candor is hard to come by. Trust and honesty don’t come easily. Some of the best feedback I’ve received has come from people in drunken stupors. Was everything said true? I’d like to think so, but I really don’t know. So, I sometimes try to play out the documentary illustrating my life. Which details are highlighted? Am I known as the guy who napped? The kid with a bunch of jobs? He never said no. He was too busy for this or that.
Then I go on to think more. I’ve “only” been on the planet for two decades. What is that underlying theme surrounding me and my life? In order to answer that I suppose I’d need a passion. Artists are passionate about their art. Entrepreneurs are passionate about their company. Parents can be passionate about their children. But what are accountants passionate about? What is a geek like myself passionate about?
I wonder about the more successful people I can imagine. Directors. Architects. Musicians. Their passion and their life become one. In fact, other aspects of life suffer. Families are forgotten. Friends disappear. It’s all about the work sometimes.
So, I’m faced with this dichotomy. Fill my life with meaningful relationships? Work hard and with passion towards being the greatest at something? Can you do both? History suggests no. Is life really that simple? A or B? Black or white?
I think I will be remembered fondly by all my friends and family as a workaholic, but a dependable workaholic, meaning I’d drop all my work in a second if it means somebody I care about needs me :).
Why do you think accountants don’t have a passion? We’re people too, you know? :) it’s not like we do this job for the money…the money isn’t all that good. hehe.
I didn’t say they didn’t. I just wondered what it is that is the driving force behind accountants.. I guess I’m looking for a simple answer.
I think most people do it because they want a stable job and their CPA.
i’m not an accountant, i’m an auditor, so I had a couple reasons maybe not applicable to standard accountants…I can’t stay in one place for too long, I hate cubicles, I like to meet new people, I like to know how businesses run, I like the fact that I will be able to apply whatever I learn here to any other job or relationship in the future, and there’s something weirdly satisfying about your numbers tie-ing out appropriately and your debits and credits balancing :)
Devin,
Such angst for one so young. These are thoughts I have been wrestling with for the last few years and I am twice your age.
Perhaps I rushed through my early life too fast and didn’t stop often enough to think of these things. That you do think about them is a good thing IMO. As you get older, your memories and your relationships become more important.
So keep thinking about your relationships and your part in them – it will serve you well for the future.
I understand, Shivani. I enjoy everything you described as well. I just wonder what that translates to in the grand scheme of my life, you know?
Thanks for your comment, Spider. I appreciate your thoughts and advice!
Good thoughts to pull our of the desk drawer once a year and spend some quality time contemplating.
As the saying goes “Before you climb the ladder of success, its best to be sure its leaned up against the right wall.”
When my father-in-law died, he had an undistinguished “career” as a truck driver, heavy equipment operator, snow plow operator and asphalt paver. He survived the great depression, being a radio operator on transport planes in WWII, and raising three children, two with disabilities.
In his small town in rural Massachusettes, over 200 people attended his funeral. He was highly respected for his integrity, honesty, cheerfullness, willingness to help anyone at any time, and his quiet efforts to improve the life of everyone he met. Folks knew they had lost a great friend and the community was going to be the poorer for it. After his funeral, I knew what I wanted folks to say about me at mine.