Have you seen this floating around social media?
I have and I don’t like it.
Three Reasons Why it Bothers Me
- It’s Wrong
- I’ll remember the time and energy that I dedicated to my students.
- I remember the teachers, coaches, and mentors that had a profound impact on me. Why wouldn’t some of the students I’ve worked with remember me? Furthermore, those who had an impact on me over 20 years ago, were the ones instilling the strong work ethic that taught me that sometimes you must go beyond the 9 to 5 if you want to make a difference.
- It’s Enabling
- While I’m not always inspired by the quotes on the internet, at least the majority of them are motivating. This one is discouraging.
- Do less. Pack it in. Call it a day. It’ll be there tomorrow.
- You owe it to your students, clients, customers, or whomever to perform at your best.
- So What
- Even if none of your students, clients, or customers remember you 20 years from now, that’s okay. You shouldn’t be doing your job well on an off-chance that 20 years from now someone will stop you on the street and tell you how you changed their life. That would be awesome, but you shouldn’t need that incentive.
- It comes down to motivation. Are you intrinsically or extrinsically motivated? Do you need people to remember you 20 years from now? If that’s the case, you should find a job that gives your life more meaning.
I have three boys. The days are long but the years are short. I don’t want to miss out on quality time with them. I’m not advocating for ridiculous work hours and constantly checking your phone at the dinner table. But, I also know that my three boys are always watching me. It’s not only important for the students that I work with that I put in the extra effort, but in doing so I’m teaching my sons the value of hard work.
Mr. Hawkins (my 4th grade teacher), if you happen to be reading this post, thanks for making me love school. I know that you didn’t put in all those extra hours to be recognized 30 years later on a subpar blog, but you made a difference in my life.
I agree with you there about who remembers you and why, but the point is that we don’t work or spend quality time with family and friends to be remembered! That’s so calculative… not my cup of tea, at all! Thanks for the blog post!