In Requiem

Gosh, all this pimpin' myself out to i-banks and consulting firms (during the LBS Milkround) has me wondering, why the f**k am I doing this! This took me back to an assignment from my UGM (Understanding General Management) Class. First we had to write an essay on "How would a recruiter describe you to a potential employer 5 years hence?". Then for our second assignment we had to write out own eulogy (depressing). Then we had to compare the two and find out if we were really doing what we wanted to do in life. A few of my friends and classmates suggested that I post my eulogy, so here goes!

Assignment 2: The year is 2064, the occasion your funeral. Imagine your best friend gives your eulogy. Write down on a single sheet of paper what that person would say.

Dear friends, we are gathered here today to celebrate the life of Tiny Tim (staying anonymous) This is a time not for sorrow, but to remember what he added to this world and to look to his life for inspiration. Most us remember Tim as a warm, caring and kind person. In spite of his busy life, he always had time for us, his friends and family. For him people were a passion and he invested heavily in them. He surrounded himself with his friends and family and often joked about how this was his true wealth.

Tim accomplished much in his lifetime, but we remember him today because of how he used his accomplishments to benefit others. Many of you worked alongside Tim in a professional context at Elevation Partners (Private Equity firm) and benefited from the successes of the companies that he led. Others worked alongside him on changing the face of healthcare in India. A few of you also collaborated with him in founding non-profit organizations that brought relief to rural India. I am sure that you will agree with me that not only did Tim directly impact the causes he championed, be they business or charitable, but he also influenced your lives, leaving you a legacy and a model to follow. One could not interact with him and not be impacted by him.

Tim's dynamism and charisma inspired us all. His tireless work ethic moved us to action. His mentorship of others and kindness towards his friends and colleagues challenged us to be richer, warmer and more caring human beings. For this we will remember him.

Tim was in his lifetime a devoted husband and a loving father. While his family will miss him sorely, they will be comforted by the myriad memories that he left them. Tim often remarked how he did not spend as much time with his family as he would have liked to. However, his wife and children have many stories about how even the little time that they spent together and the vacations that they took together were always significant, fun and memorable. In spite of the demands on his time, he was a towering figure in their lives and his children never felt as if they did not know their father.

Finally Tim contributed immensely to this world through his church. He was always there to help guide its direction, to counsel the staff on initiatives and to demonstrate what it meant to enable others to live impossibly great lives. He demonstrated by example, what it meant to love one's neighbor like oneself, and for this we remember him.

I encourage you all today to reflect on the brief time that Tim spent with us, to cherish the memories of your interactions with him and to gain insights from his life which will enable you to live an impossibly great life and make an impact on the world around you. Take care of each other, be kind and God bless. Thank you!