Greatness

I must be getting old, because this is a topic that's getting more and more play time in my head. The basic questions of what determines greatness, how do you measure a successful life, and what would be a satisfying epitaph?

So, who's greater?

• Bill Gates (Mega-Rich CEO) or Mother Teresa (Saint)
• Peyton Manning (NFL MVP) or Pat Tillman (KIA Afghanistan)
• George W. Bush (Commander-in-Chief, USA) or Mahatma Ghandi (Indian Peace Activist)
• Career Mom (3 kids, earns 6 or 7 figures, hired nanny) or Stay-at-Home Mom (3 kids, full-time mom & housekeeper, husband earns average wages)
• Pat Robertson (televangelist, multi-million dollar worldwide evangelistic empire) or unknown local pastor with struggling congregation of a couple hundred people
• Tort Lawyer, Car Salesman, Congressman, Insurance Salesman, CPA, etc.

It's probably too late for me to become a great achiever - definitely in sports, and most probably in business. On the other hand, I don't know if I ever aspired to such achievement. I'm not nearly as ambitious as I was early in my career; when I reached that goal of becoming an IS Director, I found out it wasn't at all what I imagined. It's more fun and less stress to be an individual contributor, and the long hours and constant pressure of the position of responsibility may not be worth the little extra in the paycheck.

Whatever one's profession, I think doesn't matter too much in the long run. What really matters is what impact you had on those you touched over your lifetime. Maybe we should all spend a little time thinking about the people who influenced our lives in a positive way during our lifetime, and then sending them a thank-you note.

No, a satisfying epitaph for me is "Dan, a good guy". I suppose I could live with that.

Anybody happening on this blog - tell me what you think the right epitaph would be for yourself, and what defines greatness in your mind?