So I was recently reading an obituary [I’m at that age] about a man who pioneered digital publishing when I saw a comment he is said to have made shortly before his death:
“I’m not afraid of dying, I have achieved all that I set out to do”.
Now a cynic may say that he could claim this because he either had low expectations or few goals to achieve – however I found this comment both fantastic and fearful at the same time.
I live in fear of looking back on my life and thinking about things I wish I had done or tried or experienced.
And the bugger of it all is that as I get older, I pick up more things I’d like to do or try or experience.
It’s like it’s a never-ending quest for fulfillment and so to read about someone who achieved that … who could look back on their life and feel they had done all that they wanted to do, is both brilliant and jealousy inducing.
OK, so this guy was driven by one all encompassing objective whereas I float along in life having a play with things that interest me … but still, to have lived a life of fulfillment rather than of disappointment, regret or even contentment must be amazing and that is – at least for me – more inspiring than any bollocks spouted by ad folk, ad mags, ad blogs or ad award shows.