We have the power to write our own obituary.
There once lived a man by the name of Alfred. This man lived in the 1800’s, at a time when there was no such thing as television or internet. There was however a printing press, which produced newspapers.
Alfred had become a very wealthy man with the invention of dynamite, and other such explosives. Everyone around him probably thought he had it all…wealth and fame.
One day, while reading the newspaper, Alfred came across his own name in the Obituary section. The title read “The Merchant of Death is Dead.” “Alfred, who became rich finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday.” As it turns out, the newspaper had inadvertently mistaken him for his brother. Can you imagine the thoughts racing through his mind as he reads his own legacy?
Alfred realized he would one day die and be remembered only as a merchant of death. It was in that defining moment Alfred decided to change the direction of his life. He altered his legacy when he decided to leave his entire fortune to fund a set of prizes for people who make great contributions to mankind: The Nobel Prizes!
Graveyards are full of potential wasted.