Jim VandeHei

You can control if you want to go against the current, if you want to go upstream.

That is fully in your control.

And I want to end today with a writing assignment, not that you need to do right now, but maybe do it later today or later this week.

I want you to imagine yourself on your deathbed, thinking about your life.

And did you live a life that you were proud of?

Did you live a life that you could feel, you know what, I did it my way.

I did it the right way.

and write down the three things that it would take for that answer to be, yes, that was it.

I lived the life I wanted to live.

Then write down the three things that it would take to do that between now and then, to actually achieve the life that you want to achieve.

That's your North Star.

That puts you ahead of 95% on Earth in terms of taking ownership of what you want to do with your own life.

Man, I'm blessed.

I grew up with four grandparents who lived in my hometown.

I have two parents who are still alive.

I have an amazing wife, three wondrous children, and tons of really great friends and colleagues who've poured a lot of knowledge and a lot of love into my life.

Richard Powers, in his book Bewilderment, says, maybe the purpose of life is about leaving little pieces of ourselves behind in others.

And I hope today that I've left a little piece of what all those people poured into me with you, and that you can leave little pieces of yourself in many others.

And you can do it because you control you.

So get her done.