What Will Matter

What will matter is not what you bought,
but what you built;
Not what you got,
but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success,
but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned,
but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity,
compassion, courage or sacrifice
that enriched, empowered or encouraged
others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence,
but your character.

What will matter is not
how many people you knew,
but how many will feel
a lasting loss when you're gone.
What will matter is not your memories,
but the memories that live
in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long
you will be remembered,
by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters
doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance
But of choice.
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And here is the rest of it.