Stop And Start At The End
What Will People Say At Your Funeral?
Have you ever thought about your own funeral?
What will it look like? Who will be there? What will they whisper about during your eulogy?
I am definitely not the first person to ask this question.
In fact, it’s a fairly popular question in the world of business and leadership development. Essentially, it’s an exercise that forces you to start at the end and realign with what personal success will truly look like in your life.
In the moment, this may sound like a silly and unhelpful exercise used by coaches to convince people who are lost they know what they’re actually talking about.
If you’re one of these “lost souls,” take a second and yourself a simple question:
At this point in your life, are you happy?
I’m assuming the answer is probably no, considering you’re asking this question in the first place. And you know what? That’s OK.
I don’t know many people who are truly happy.
I’m sure there are people in your life that appear happy in front of others. However, when left to their own devices, these same people may feel unfulfilled or completely lost.
If you ask me, they’re in the majority.
After all, we aren’t raised to patiently find what makes us happy. We’re bred to become productive members of society as quickly as possible.
This way of thinking doesn’t exactly lend itself to finding long-term happiness. Instead, it leads to the pursuit of short-term stability and centering ourselves around possessions, both material and immaterial.
Take a second, close your eyes, and go back to your own funeral.
If you actually pay attention to those murmurs, you may be surprised at what you hear:
What you won’t hear
Coworker — “He was such a hard worker and moved his way up the corporate ladder so quickly!”
Daughter — “Dad was so dedicated to his job, it was really inspiring.”
Husband — “She always looked so put together with her Chanel purse.”
What you will hear
Coworker — “He always made me laugh when work was tough.”
Daughter — “Dad always knew what to say to make me feel better about myself.”
Husband — “She always supported me in any decision I made, no matter what it was.”
As you can probably tell, people won’t be reminiscing about the job titles you received or the things you owned.
They’ll be sharing the principles that guided you through life and the character traits you shared with others.
This is why starting at the end truly does matter.
It forces us to put things in perspective by thinking about the legacy we leave behind. It reminds us we aren’t the balance of our bank account or the possessions we own. We aren’t even our spouses or friends.
We are individuals with our own inherent value and it can’t be taken away.
Whenever you forget this, stop and start at the end.
Have you thought about your own funeral? What will personal success look like at the end of your life? Share your thoughts in the comments below or on Twitter at @williamfrazr.
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