The Promise of Fame

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Everyone wants to be remembered...


Have you ever asked a kid what they wanted to be when they grew up? It's one of my favorite things to ask kids when I don't know what else to do with them, because the answer you get back is almost certain to be interesting.

Kids have such high-hopes of adulthood. They're going to be a ballerina, or a veterinarian, or an inventor. They're going to win an Olympic metal, or become Queen of the World, or maybe do both.

In their minds, there is no doubt that they are going to do something great.

But then... we actually do grow up.

Suddenly our dream of becoming Queen of the World seems a bit far-fetched, and we realize we don't have the skills (or determination) needed to win an Olympic medal.

We go to college, pick a career path, and leave our childhood dreams behind.

 But I think a lot of us are still dreaming of fame. In some way, we all want to be recognized. We want people to see that we are special. We want others to look up to us. We want to be that celebrity that everyone knows about. Perhaps most of all, we want to be remembered.

I think the reason we desire fame is because what we really desire is purpose. Fame promises that what we're doing matters. If other people notice, than surely we're worth something.

But quantity is not the only measure of greatness. 

Sometimes more isn't better. Most of us are never going to have our accomplishments broadcast on the news. Most of us will never be celebrities or national figures. And you might be tempted to think that means you won't be remembered, but it's not true.

You will be remembered by the people who matter. By your family, and your friends. By your neighbors, and colleagues. By people you barely knew but on whom you'd made an incredible impression.

And to those people, you are priceless simply because of who you are.



 "The truth is, you can't be anything you want to be; you can only be yourself. [...] But you can be yourself very, very well. Have you ever tried?"
 
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Looking back, what was your childhood dream? How has your dream changed in the years since? Let me know in the comment section below, over at my Facebook page, or email it to me at anastasiarosewrites[@]gmail[.]com.

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101 Things: Counting Down

I am hoping to buy origami paper this weekend so I can start on my cranes. This is one of the projects that I actually wouldn't mind accepting outside help on. I think it would be awesome to have cranes made by lots of different hands. If you want to make a couple, here is a video link- youtube.com/watch?v=LuIjxq9bj-0. Send me an email so we can coordinate how you're going to get the crane to me. (anastasiarosewrites[@]gmail[.]com) Be sure to sign your name on the bottom so we'll know who made it!

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