Tom Peters has a speech or a presentation (you can get it on powerpoint) where he talks about “The Memories That Matter.”

This is the first paragraph – I won’t spoil it by telling you the rest. Got to the site and enjoy. It’s a good speech. (Since this was published the link has disappeared. I’m very sorry. I leave the first of what he said up and I’m adding some other videos of Tom Peters.)

In a month, as I write, I’ll be 68. No matter how hard one tries to be forward focused, at that age there is a frequent urge to “sum things up.” As one does look back, there is a certain class of memories that stand out. I know my own story—and I’ve talked to many others. When you look back at “what really matters”—it’s rarely “the numbers.” Make no mistake, as you soldier on, your tiny or huge enterprise must be profitable to survive. Wanna do great things? Well, check out the “cash flow” statement first. True, but still “the summing up statement” is far more about the basics of human behavior and character than about the angle of incline of a market share graph. What follows is then, in a fashion, “the memories that matter”—or will matter. Why point this out? Because to get the tally right on this one at age 68, the sorts of things enumerated here must have been “top of mind” throughout your career—i.e., yesterday and this morning.”