What Will Your Obituary Say?

LET ME START OFF BY SAYING THAT BY NO MEANS DO I CONSIDER MYSELF A MORBID PERSON. HOWEVER, THE THOUGHT OF DYING ONE DAY CROSSES MY MIND MORE OFTEN THAN I AM PROUD TO ADMIT--AND I’M QUITE CONFIDENT THAT I AM NOT ALONE WITH MY THOUGHTS. THE IDEA THAT ONE DAY WE WILL CEASE TO EXIST (AT LEAST IN A WAY THAT WE ARE FAMILIAR WITH) CAUSES US DISCOMFORT AND ANXIETY. DUE TO THE FACT THAT DEATH IS INESCAPABLE, I FEEL THAT IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE START CHANGING OUR ATTITUDE AND OUR APPROACH WHEN DISCUSSING OR THINKING ABOUT DEATH. THE NEXT FEW PARAGRAPHS WILL HOPEFULLY GIVE YOU SOME INSIGHT AND MIGHT EVEN HIT A NERVE OR TWO. LIKE ALWAYS, I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE MAKE SURE TO KEEP AN OPEN MIND WHILE READING THIS.

OFTEN, WE TEND TO SHY AWAY FROM THE FACT THAT WE ARE MORTAL AND THAT DEATH IS A PART OF LIFE. WE TRY CONVINCING OURSELVES THAT DEATH IS ESCAPABLE AND TRICK OURSELVES INTO BELIEVING THAT “IT WON’T HAPPEN TO ME”. BY DOING THIS, WE CREATE A FALSE SENSE OF REALITY AND TEND TO COME UP WITH ACTIVITIES THAT WILL TAKE OUR MINDS OFF OF THINKING ABOUT THIS INEVITABLE FATE. I SUGGEST WE USE OUR MORTALITY TO MOTIVATE US TO LIVE EACH DAY THAT WE LIVE TO THE FULLEST. ASK YOURSELF THIS QUESTION, “WHAT WILL MY OBITUARY SAY?” BEFORE READING ANY FURTHER, TAKE THE NEXT COUPLE OF MINUTES TO ALLOW YOUR MIND TO PROCESS THIS QUESTION. WHILE DOING THIS, MAKE SURE TO ALLOW YOUR MIND TO WANDER, DO NOT TRY AND STOP IT--LIVE IN THE MOMENT AND EMBRACE IT!

SO, WHAT DID YOU COME UP WITH? WERE YOU QUITE IMPRESSED AND CONTENT WITH THE LEGACY THAT YOU WILL BE LEAVING BEHIND? OR WERE YOU DISAPPOINTED AND WISHED THAT THERE WAS MORE SUBSTANCE AND MEANING TO YOUR LIFE? WERE YOU ABLE TO COME UP WITH ENOUGH ACCOMPLISHMENTS? WERE YOU PROUD OF THE LIFE YOU HAD LIVED? IF YOU ANSWERED YES, NO, YES, YES. THEN, THIS INSIGHT DOES NOT APPLY TO YOU. YOU HAVE BEEN DOING A SWELL JOB SO FAR, KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK! HOWEVER, IF YOU ANSWERED NO, YES, NO, NO-- THEN NOW IS THE TIME TO CHANGE THAT! TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE. YOU ARE THE ONE WHO DECIDES WHAT WILL BE IN YOUR OBITUARY, NO ONE ELSE!

TODAY IS THE PERFECT DAY TO START TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE. ON A DAILY BASIS, WE MUST MAKE IT A POINT TO REMEMBER THAT WE ONLY HAVE ONE OPPORTUNITY AT LIFE. THERE ARE NO DO-OVERS. THERE ARE NO TIME OUTS OR REWIND BUTTONS. TOMORROW IS NOT A GUARANTEE, AND YESTERDAY ALREADY HAPPENED. LIFE IS A GIFT, A GIFT THAT WILL ONE DAY EXPIRE. THE NEXT TIME YOUR MIND BEGINS TO WANDER TO THAT MORBID PLACE, REMEMBER TO ASK YOURSELF “WHAT WILL MY OBITUARY SAY?”