I promised you a powerful activity and here it is. A while back i recorded a very powerful video you can watch by clicking the link at the end of this post. Today we are going to revisit the principles discussed in that video.
If you have spent a fair amount of time on this planet you have no doubt heard a eulogy. Maybe you have even had to write and deliver one yourself? One fact of life is this, when it comes to the end whether you are Bill Gates or a man who lives under a bridge, when you die someone will say something about you. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, black, white or any other color of the rainbow. It doesn't matter what faith you follow. When you pass on words will be said to describe your life.
Now this may come across as a dark or morbid thought to many of you. To me, it is just a fact. If you were to leave this planet tonight what would they say about you? What would you, and your life, be known for? Is it what you would want to be known for? Have you done what you wanted to with your life?
If we are honest, most of us, to some extent would have to answer 'no' to some degree. There is always more we would like to do and accomplish. There are lives we would like to touch and things we would like to be remembered for. What would you like your legacy to be? This is a question we don't spend a good deal pondering. Death is a subject rarely discussed and just as rarely thought of except at funerals.
As uncomfortable as the thought of our own mortality is, it can serve as a great motivator. There is a Native American saying that goes "today is a good day to die." Meaning we should live life so that if we should pass away today our soul would be at peace.
A great way to accomplish all of this is to write our own eulogy. When my day comes and people are gathered around remembering Neil, what would I like them to be saying? Sit down and think about that. Write down what you would like to hear about you and your life. Chances are you will not have done, or even be that kind of person yet. Knowing what you want to be remembered for will certainly help you gain clarity and motivation to get there.
Doing this exercise will change your life. I encourage you to do it and feel free to share what you discovered and how it impacted you.
This is a subject I have done posts on in the past, but it is so important we are going to look at it again. What it the purpose of your life? If you ask most people you know you will probably get a blank stare,a shrug of the shoulders or a simple "I don't know". You may get something about winning the lottery or even just making it to retirement. These are not purposes that get us to jump out of bed in the morning.
Let me put it another way. If you were playing a game and in this game there was a game board, game pieces and some dice. Someone just told you to sit down and play. You would not know where to start from. Is it the center of the board? The outside? You would not know where you are going or even how you are supposed to move or get there. Nevermind the fact that you wouldn't know how to win the game. So, how long do you think you would play that game? Not very long I imagine. Sadly, this is what most of us do with our lives on a daily basis. We wake up with no real purpose other than to make it through the day and pay the bills. On occasion we come up with temporary goals. Maybe we are saving up for a vacation. Maybe we are going back to school. Those goals, although better than none at all, are temporary.
We need to ask ourselves what do we want our lives to bring to the world? What will people remember about us after we are gone? I suggest thinking backwards starting at the end of our lives. What would we to have done for our friends? Our spouse? Our children and the world we live in? Whatever those goals are we can start taking steps, no matter how small, to achieve them today. If you need additional ideas I suggest watching my YouTube video WRITE YOUR OWN EULOGY it will give you motivation to get started today. None of us know how long we have to make something of our lives, but we all know we should start today!
You may wonder what such a title is doing in a blog about living a positive and rewarding life? Throughout the course of my life I have read a great deal of self-improvement/law of attraction type books. A lot of times ideas and thoughts are repeated in slighty different ways. Which is good. It let's you know what seems to be working for a great deal of different people. Once in a while, however, you come across a fresh idea which you haven't heard before. This is one such time. Do you ever wonder, "Is this what I should be doing with my life?" or "How do I know what the right path is for me?". I know I have. Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a way to see if what you are currently doing matches your values and priorities? There is! I prefer to call this 'Keeping the end in mind'. Sit down and prepare to write your own eulogy. What would you want said about you at your memorial service? Was it that you were a good parent and raised your children in a loving fashion? Then family would be a great value to you. Perhaps it is that you showed kindness to everyone you met. Then compassion would be a trait that is of great importance to you. Truth is, when we decide what legacy we would like to leave behind it gives our lives purpose and us a sense of direction. If a eulogy seems a bit to dark for you, then try imagining what they would say at an awards presentation. personally I like the eulogy as it also serves to remind us that time is one of the most precious commodities and we should spend it doing what we love and what bring joy and love to the rest of the world. So ask yourself, "what would I want them to say about me?" You'll never wonder if you're on the right path again.