My Greatest Fear

"If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing. "
- Benjamin Franklin

My greatest fear is dying without being remembered by the masses. Death is the end of the worldly journey for all. From birth to death, every human creates their own story. We build on this story daily until we pass away. For some people, this life story is a boring, lonely tale. But for others, this adventure is filled with emotions including failure, success and building a legacy that will last a thousand years. Personally, my greatest fear is that my life will not be remembered by millions and be forgotten. This fear helps me daily to strive to do my best.

Since birth, my father has forced me to strive for excellence. The idea that nothing is ever good enough and there is always room for improvement. Whether it be sports, academics or social interactions, one must learn from their past mistakes and improve in all aspects of life on a daily basis. My father raised me to be a winner and to never give up, this outlook on life came from his experience in the United States Army. Around age 16, I began pondering what my life would be like in 20 years. I planned to be in Congress with a Masters in Criminal Law. I figured that in order to reach that goal, I would have to embrace the teachings of my father and try my hardest daily. I soon developed a fear a failure, which I overcame after realizing that failure is the first step to success. This fear changed my thought process drastically, I began seeing opportunities to learn and grow in every situation possible. Sometime in February, I was arrested for a DUI on Marijuana. My process of thinking was changed once again, I stopped thinking ahead and began focusing on the present. Knowing that, in order to achieve your dream, you must take the first step. I realized that I had been nothing but a dreamer and never took any initiative to fulfill my dreams. One night, I came across an old history book and I began reading it. Suddenly, the question of life began to make sense to me. Nobody ever really dies until they are forgotten. Others become immortalized in the book of history. This incident motivated me to stop giving 90% in life and give 110% in order to gain the respect and power needed to create a legacy. Thus, I now have the fear of dying without being remembered by millions.

This fear affects many people worldwide; it has beneficial and detrimental values attached to it. For some, this fear helps people focus on striving for success and never accepting defeat. When one man has the desire and immense focus to change the world, the results can be incredible. Unfortunately, this fear can cause people to become arrogant, cheaters or corrupt. Countless leaders of Business, politics and religious sects have become susceptible to this negative effect and have embraced it. Leaders such as Jeff Skilling (CEO of Enron) and Adolf Hitler are victims of this fear's negative traits. These men began their life with good intentions, but became corrupt with greed along the way to success. Personally, this fear keeps me focused and working hard without taking shortcuts to achieve success. I feel that I have a very solid mental game, greed and corruption cannot take me off focus with this fear. Negatively, this fear makes me cocky and arrogant. It forces me to hate losing, when I do, I spend countless hours criticizing myself and ignoring others. This ostrasization of others has gotten me in trouble with friends and family alike.

People feel that this fear can be very dangerous if placed in the wrong hands. People in power, who have this fear and strive to be the best in their field, can lose focus when they are facing opportunities to profit from corruption, such as embezzlement. Once an individual has obtained this fear, it is near impossible to get rid of. Personally, the only way I could get rid of this phobia is to create something that will last forever. The only way to conquer this fear, is to do the exact opposite of the phobia itself. Whether it be a new industry that helps millions or saving the lives of many, creating something that will guarantee you a spot in history is the only way to overcome this fear.

Every day, thousands of people die without being remembered by anyone other than family. The deceased individuals lead a life story that ended at the grave. For me, my phobia will force me to pioneer something that will continue to write my life's story long after I die. If I fail on my journey to achieve immortality in the minds of the living, my life will have been lived for nothing. This is unacceptable; I cannot allow myself to be forgotten for the sake of my friends and my family. They have provided me with all of the experiences that have shaped who I am today; I feel that I must achieve greatness in return. My fear forces me to rise above my own expectations in order to avoid being just another unknown man in the ground.