It’s Not About You

Book Reviews, General 1 Minute

What a great title!! The author, Tom Rath, has also been involved with writing about Strength Finders, which was a great asset to me and my law firm when I was practicing. Beyond personality, Strength Finders focuses on those traits that serve you personally well in the workplace. Super helpful, especially in a work place that contains disparate people from various generations and backgrounds.

Rath’s book, for which I am writing this review, came after his work with Strength Finders and is about his personal story. The story begins with his grandfather and the most important lesson his grandfather taught him, which is:

… the best way to fill my own bucket was to spend time filling other people’s …

He goes on to lay out the three elements that must be present if one is to apply this principle to ones life, to wit:

  1. Get Over Yourself;
  2. Invest in the People Who Matter Most; and
  3. Focus on What Will Grow When You Are Gone.

Since Rath suffers from a genetic condition that has reduced his life expectancy significantly, I was particularly interested in his perspective. Many of the insights laid out in the book clearly stem from the viewpoint of someone understanding that life is short. Some of the quotable comments he makes that resonated with me are:

How Full Is Your Bucket?

Living a Life of Contribution

He ends with this:

Most people agree life is not about focusing on self-oriented or monetary ambitions. It is about what you create that improves lives. It is about investing in the development of other people. And it is about participating in efforts that will continue to grow when you are gone. In the end, you won’t get to stay around forever, but your contributions will.

In the end, you are what you contributed to the world.

It’s helpful for me to think about a legacy and leaving a legacy in a concrete way.  The contributions that I make will live on and that’s a comforting thought to someone living with a terminal diagnosis.

Published by Abigail Johnston

I'm a daughter, a wife, a mother, and I've been living with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer since March, 2017. All of the words I publish are my own.

Published

16 thoughts on “It’s Not About You”

  5. Fabulous blog. This week, after I heard that one of my teachers had died, I was thinking about the legacy that he and other people I’ve known have left. Most of them were quiet unassuming people but they made a difference in my life and I’m incredibly thankful for them. In turn, it also brings me joy and peace of mind to know that although I am not changing the world in eye catching ways I have and can continue to make a difference and that difference is significant and is part of my legacy x

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  6. Pingback: Weekly Round-Up | Journeying Beyond Breast Cancer

  7. Thank you for this review, Abigail. I have a cousin only 31 years old and she has Non-Hodgekins Lymphoma. She has a 9 year old son. She was diagnoses a year ago yesterday and this past year has been a roller-coaster ride for her and her family. The cancer has changed her completely.

    I will definitely pick up a copy of this book!

    This is a beautiful review!

    Liked by 1 person

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