Sean you are right this will help us all when we the economy gets back to normal.

Cool pictures Ryan. These pictures don't need explaining. You can just see why they were interesting to you. It funny that happens to me living in New York sometimes. I forget about all the huge buildings in around me and they one day I look up and I am amazed once again. You have inspired me Ryan I am going to take my camera out today.

That's awesome Ryan. Keep up the gym going!

As an addendum to my last comment. I realize that my example is something charitable in nature and of course you would be fulfilled by doing something like this. But I think Ryan's point is still valid. The point is at the end of the your life will you be happy with the things you did professionally or will you have regrets? Will you be happy working in an office everyday making someone money or will you be more happy working for yourself doing something you love?

We are obviously talking in the realm of professional life. So I highly doubt that Ryan was saying that literally on his gravestone he is going to have his professional achievements. It is simply a metaphor to make your professional life as worthwhile and meaningful as possible.

I think the point Ryan was trying to make here is legitimate.

Would you rather sit back and say I created a really nice web app that made my boss 1.2 million dollars. Or would it be more fulfilling to say hey I made a web app that helped farmers in Botswana learn how to maximize their profits by getting real time weather forecasts during rainy season.

I'm not sure about you but I would prefer saying the latter at the end of my life.

Not that your professional achievements are how you "gauge your life" but you spend so much time on your professional life it might as well be on something worth while and meaningful.