Good question...

So I was doing my laundry today, waiting for my clothes to finish drying, casually looking around the room for something to entertain me for the next 5 minutes. I noticed a big board full of random thought provoking questions: one of which was "how will people remember you?"

I'm not sure how, but somehow I've managed to not ask myself this in a very long time. Not because I'm apathetic to the impact I impart upon the lives of other people, but it hasn't crossed my mind. How do people remember me? If by some freak accident, knock on wood, I died tomorrow, what would people say about the late Nathan Hicks? Would their memories be positive or negative? Would they cherish the good times and think "Nathan had a great spirit and wouldn't want us to sulk on his account" or would they frown upon the bad times and think "well he certainly isn't in a better place.."?

Now, I'll admit, I may be going through something of a funk at this point in my life, but this is in no way a self pitying kind of thought process. Far from it. I want to delve into an analysis of the way I act around and treat other people. I want to be the guy that people know was always there for them, to support them and cheer them up when they're in need, or even if they're not. I want to be the guy who lights up a room whenever he enters, a guy who gives every chance he gets, and fights for those who can't fight for themselves. I want to be a man who everyone looks up to, but looks down on no one. I want to be the man who improves the lives of every individual he meets and lets everyone know that the world is indeed a good place. I want to inspire!

That's the man I want to be. Am I anywhere near there? Most certainly not. Perhaps I could be bold enough to say that I've at least had some kind of impact on the lives of at least a few of the people closest to me. But I'm nowhere close to being the man I want to be.

Everyone has to start somewhere though, right?