We were on a road trip to Boston this weekend to see my wife’s extended family. As we were hanging out, someone showed us an essay written in 1979 by one the cousins when he was 10-years-old about the life of their grandfather. 

It was interesting to hear about my wife’s Dad’s side of the family. How their grandfather grew up during the depression. How he quit school as a pre-teen to find work to support his family, new to America by way of Hungary and Romania. How he went off to fight for his country in WWII, at the expense of missing the first two years of his daughter’s life. How he worked so hard in order to enjoy the sweet things in life, like getting to coach his son (my now father-in-law) in baseball and taking time off to march in Washington with Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Hearing the accomplishments of a very revered man got me thinking: What will people write about me when I’m gone?

What will people write about you?

What are the big things that your family really cares about? 

Are you doing the things that make a lasting impact?

Are you focused on surface level things that one day won’t matter?

You have choices to make for 2018. 

Long-term thinking drives good short-term prioritization. 

Wishing you a great holiday season with your families. 

Colin