"What we do in our life echoes in eternity."

Marcus Aurelius

Chances are you've heard this quote before if you've seen Gladiator or read it somewhere on the internet. The original quote comes from the great Stoic Marcus Aurelius. But what does the quote mean?

We first heard this quote when we were little kids watching Gladiator, too mesmerized by Russell Crowe's performance to understand the meaning behind it. Over the years, we slowly began to understand the true meaning behind it. We got bored of the same meaningless routines we had to endure and thought to ourselves: Why are we here and for what? What is our purpose? This quote beautifully emphasizes the ability of human beings to determine their own destiny and lead a meaningful life, be it for better or for worse. To put it in a nutshell: The deeds we accomplish in our lives will remain forever, even after our soul has left this earth.

Think of great minds who have changed the world for the better. Names like Einstein, M.L. King, Mandela, Schindler, and many others will be remembered for their deeds centuries after their passing. The same goes for people whose deeds were so evil that they showed us the duality of humanity. We immediately think of names like Hitler, Stalin, Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Hussein, Bin Laden, and many more.

This shows that you have the ability to be remembered as a person who brought the light into this world or as a person who brought the darkness into people's minds. The choice is yours.

You might ask yourself: But how can I achieve a meaningful life? What if my deeds are so small that they don't matter after all? You have every right in the world to ask yourself these questions. We did the same. The good thing is that your deeds matter. Don't you think it would matter if you tried to smile more often while you talk to other people? Don't you think it would matter if you did small insignificant things like making your bed every morning? It would matter in a small way, sure, but the small things are usually the deeds that define yourself. If you change the life of one person because you helped them with certain things, you created a meaningful impact on another human being, and your deeds will be remembered.

Are you an unmotivated person? Are you constantly annoyed with the world? There will be situations in your life where you can't control the circumstances. You can't change the fact that you were late for work today because you slept three times, can you? What you can change, however, is your reaction and behavior. Instead of constantly complaining about the world and why everyone hates you, you should try to change the things that are within your control. You can change your habits so that you don't nap three times again because that is certainly within your control.

Change your life or leave it to destiny.

Strength and honor