Years ago, sometime in 2002 or 2003 I interviewed Robert Ballard - the man who discovered the wreck of the Titanic. It was one of his most well-known discoveries, but it wasn’t his greatest. But it is what the public remembers him for. He even voiced frustration over that fact - that while it was the most famous ship he found, it wasn’t the most significant discovery of his career. He considered his greatest discovery in terms of what mattered to him. His audience judged him on what mattered to them.

I spent the day at the Aquarium in Gatlinburg, TN where Ballard was speaking. I had the unique experience of both interviewing him, hearing him speak and watching him interact with the public. What struck me about the day is that the audience (mostly Christians and Southern Baptists) wanted to know not about the Titanic, but about the Ark. Yes. Noah’s Ark. They had questions about the flood and why the Ark hadn’t been discovered (According to many, it has been). Their assessment of him was based, not on his credentials, expertise, discoveries or professional credentials - it was based on his assessment of whether or not the Ark was “real,” and if there had been a world wide flood. I listened with great amusement as Ballard came up against the literal beliefs of a Southern Baptist audience and was found wanting, since he did not believe in a world wide flood or the ark.

Ballard wasn’t the first explorer or person to discover something, be dismissed for the significance and then remembered or known for some lesser thing. He won’t be the last. But he’s in good company. Copernicus for instance, is most known for discovering the earth revolved around the sun. Yet he was not an astronomer by avocation. He was a humanist, a writer, physician, administrator and mathematician. His other works? Most people could not name another achievement. There are many. And not all are world famous. As a matter of fact - this same thing happens to many of us. We are remembered for our most public impact, not our most noteworthy.

Ballard went on to speak at TED 2008, and to other discoveries. But he will be remembered by that one audience in Gatlinburg, TN for not believing in the Biblical flood. No matter where he goes, or what he does, what matters most to him, what he perceives as his greatest contribution to humanity, he will not be able to control how he is remembered, or for what. None of us will.

The politician or public official who helps millions or thousands of people in his years of service may only be remembered for the affair with his secretary or an intern before he left office. J.K. Rowling worked with Amnesty International but will be remembered for Harry Potter.

When you work for fame and recognition there is no guarantee you will be recognized for what you want to be known for. Copernicus had other responsibilities, but he was passionate about astronomy. Think about the people you know, what they are passionate about, what you are known for. Do they match? What about yourself? What are you known for?

Better to be passionate about what you do and count success based on achieving your goals rather than on anyone else’s recognition.