FBC – 110 – You died, sorry! How should you be remembered?

You died, sorry! How should you be remembered?.

It's very unfortunate but you are dead. Sorry about that bro… What do you want to be remembered for? What would you want people to say about you at your funeral?

So for today I wanted to record this podcast to talk about something, which is your legacy. What you want to be remembered for. OK. I had this discussion recently with a bunch of friends and my answer actually shocked them. I wanted to share that with you and I wanted you guys to think about what you want to be remembered for.

So let's say it's your eulogy right. So it's going to be depressing stuff. Let's say you're dead, sorry about this you're dead and it's a funeral. Right. And you know those people gather and stuff. So the question that you're often asked is what do you want people to say at your eulogy, at your funeral?

So a lot of people will tell me that what they want is for people to remember them as good people. So you know obviously you want some of that. You want people to have a positive memory of you and also that you've done more good than bad. OK. So I do understand this. This is where my answer might shock you.

The thing with being a good person is that being a good person is very subjective and is very relative to circumstances and to where you live. OK. You need to try and be a respectful person according to your values and everything. But I want you to understand something. It's very subjective.

So I’ll just give you a like an example. Let's say if you live in a cannibalistic society and you're used to eating other people. I have no idea how that works. But anyway, so let's say you live in this cannibalistic society, everybody eats people and let’s say that people die and instead of burying them you eat them.

So if you do this all your life and then you die, at your funeral, do you think these other people are going to say you're a bad person? You're not right.

But if you do the same thing in Europe or in western societies, where you don't actually eat people then people will say you're a bad person. All right. So that's why I'm saying that being good or bad is very subjective. So there are countries for example where you know people eat dogs.

They might have their reasons for eating dogs and that's not a problem. In Western societies, you don't eat dogs. If you eat dog you're a cuckoo or you're like you're a horrible person. Right. Because in Western societies we have basically decided that you can eat this, you can eat that right. Don't touch the dog. You know let's not eat dogs or cats or whatever but we just decided that you can’t eat it.

I mean some people eat horses right. And people who like horses will tell you that you're a bad person. Do you think you're a bad person? No it's just that where you grew up and stuff it’s what people do.

When you think about it, it's very selfish from humans because I mean we think we're above everything and we can decide you can eat this can eat that right.

So that's why I want you to understand even though there are some common and universal values we just assume that everybody on the planet has the same values as we have in our country, or continent, or in your village or whatever. You know even though there is some like universal values and stuff you need to understand that there is a certain level of subjectivity in there and it will vary.

And one other thing will be, I want people to say that I was a smart person, you know something about brains and stuff and who achieved a lot in their life. And again this one is subjective as well. You know like being smart and not being smart. Some people have never been to school but they build an empire and stuff.

So you have different kind of intelligence. Yeah. Some people are like street smart you know they just know how to navigate and some people are book smart and stuff.

You died, sorry! How should you be remembered?

And me I just want something unique that I want to be able to have people say at my eulogy.

My philosophy is that there are seven point six billion people on this planet. So there are seven point six billion perfect lives. The perfect life for you is the perfect life for you only. Because nobody is like you. Nobody on this planet.

So this is one thing that's unique. So I want people to be able to say “at that moment he lived the life that was perfect for him. He found his perfect life”. That's what I want because nobody else on this planet can find that perfect life. You know it's mine.

And I think for me that's the highest achievement possible in life because if you look at it the odds are pretty severe. They're pretty bad right. You have one in seven point six billion chances of finding it. And if you find it then you made it!!

But you know sometimes when I talk to people I have the impression, which is just my opinion and I could be wrong, but I have the impression that it was more like “I will do this because I will have that reward afterwards when I'm dead.” This is some sort of objective whereas I'm not doing anything with an objective in mind man I'll just live my life my friend.

I'll try to be as respectful and as good as I can just because it's my life.

About the Author

Martin Ebongue is the founder of martinebongue.com, an online business and lifestyle design blog focused on helping aspiring entrepreneurs build location-independent businesses. Since 2014, he has been creating and scaling online ventures across multiple niches, from digital products and affiliate marketing to SaaS and content platforms, while traveling the world. He shares the real-world strategies, tools, and systems that work, with a particular focus on AI-powered automation for solopreneurs. Follow him on YouTube, X (Twitter), and Instagram.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is thinking about your legacy useful while you are still building?

Legacy thinking forces you to reverse-engineer your next decade from the version of yourself you actually want to be. It clarifies which projects belong on the roadmap and which are filler. People who write a one-page legacy statement at 30 ship dramatically different work by 40.

What should a legacy statement actually contain?

Three lines. The problem you want to be associated with solving, the people whose lives you want to be different because you existed, and the work you want listed under your name. Keep it under 60 words so it stays portable across years and decisions.

How often should you revisit your legacy statement?

Twice a year, on January 1 and July 1. Read it, ask whether the last six months moved you closer or further, and adjust the next quarter accordingly. Calendaring the review beats relying on inspiration, which never strikes when a hard decision is on the table.

Does legacy mean fame or impact?

Impact, and the two are unrelated. Many famous people leave thin legacies and many quiet operators rebuild entire industries from the inside. A useful legacy is measured by how many people changed direction because of your work, not by follower count or press coverage.

Related Reading

• FBC – 4 Part 1 – This is the story of my life: Success, Failure and The Hurdles.
• FBC – 3 – Escape your life of sacrifice! Don’t settle for less than your dream lifestyle.
• FBC – 8 – The Weirdest Challenge To Boost Your Confidence
• Other really cool tips that will give you an unfair advantage

Further reading

• LinkedIn Newsletter (Diary of a Virtual CEO): operational tactics covered weekly in the LinkedIn Newsletter (Diary of a Virtual CEO).
• Martin's story page: the full origin story on Martin's story page.
• HubSpot Blog: sales and marketing benchmarks on the HubSpot Blog.
• Harvard Business Review: research on solo and founder-led operations from Harvard Business Review.