I caught a glimpse of Guy Kawasaki’s book “The Art of the Start” at my local Barnes and Noble today and decided to give it a quick lookover.

On the cover, Pierre Omidyar, one of the founders of EBay, is quoted as saying “please, read the last chapter first.” So the last chapter is called “The Art of Being a Mensch” which is basically Guy’s advice on how to be ethical, decent and admirable.

It’s a pretty short chapter (3 pages) so the basic idea is:

Help Many People

• Do What’s Right
• Keep your Word, Value the Spirit not the Technicality of an Agreement
• Pay for What you Get

Focus on What’s Important

Pay Back Society

Pretty pratical advice if you ask me. I can probably work on the first point, and the last point more but I think I’m pretty good about doing what’s right most of the time. The most important part of this chapter is probably the exercise you’re supposed to do:

“It’s the end of your life. Write down the three things you want people to remember about you”

1. To be remembered as a close and trusted friend to those who were kind enough to have shared a friendship with me.
2. To raise a strong loving family (when the time comes)
3. To have lived with no regrets and lived life to the fullest.

And here’s a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson which I find unwavering inspiration in:

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

That is what I would like to be remembered as.

I would like to invite everyone reading to submit their list of 3 things they would like to remembered for and I’ll post them here.