What Will Your Eulogy Read?

August 12, 2009 | Ryan | Comments 0

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Weird question you might think at first. However, I think it is the best question you can ask yourself. It’s not a depressing question; it’s actually a very constructive question. This idea was taken from A.C. Ping’s Book “BE”. I highly suggest reading it if you are having trouble finding purpose in your life. You can pick it up by clicking here. I have separated this broad question into several subcategories. Go ahead, take out a pen and paper and answer the following questions.

1. Who will be at your funeral?

Of course your family and friends will be there, but what kind of people are they? Are they optimistic? Are they nice? Are they cruel? What kind of personalities do your friends have? What kind of personality do you have? This question is designed to make you think about the type of people you surround yourself with. Now, you might think, “Well I hangout with negative people, but I’m not like that.” This could be true for a little while, however, who you surround yourself with is ultimately who you are. If you hang around pessimistic people long enough, you too will become a downbeat person. Take action today to surround yourself with the type people you want to become. If you want to be successful, surround yourself with successful people. If you want to be upbeat, surround yourself with positive people. If you want to be an unhappy person, surround yourself with sorrowing people. It’s up to you to decide what kind of person you want to be.

2. What will people say about you at your funeral?

Most of the time when someone speaks at a funeral, it’s usually a close friend of family member who always has something encouraging to say. However, what you don’t hear is what others say or think about you. I’ve been to funerals where I could tell half of the people there had some kind of grudge or anger towards that person. Do not hold grudges against people. The individual might not make it through the day. We are all fortunate enough to be alive and we should all learn to forgive each other. I know we all have those ‘difficult’ people in our lives. This doesn’t mean you have to be those difficult people’s best friends, but do not spark up a conversation about how “bad” they are. It only starts a viscous circle. Overall, think about how you act towards other people. Are you polite? Are you considerate? Or are you unpleasant to be around? How do others perceive you? This question is designed to think about your daily encounters with others. I would rather everyone in the entire room say one kind comment about me than ten pessimistic details. You can’t please everyone, but you can control your attitude towards others.

3. What kind of accomplishments will you have achieved?

Will you have done everything you wish to have done? What will you have given back to society? Will you be happy with what you have achieved? All of these questions should inspire you to set GOALS for yourself. No goal is too big. If you think it is too big, break your BIG goal down into several small goals that will help you accomplish your substantial goal. If you want to visit a certain place in the world, well plan on doing it. Do not think you have the rest of your life to do these activities. Life is too short to waste and should be lived to its fullest. Most people do not plan to fail at life. Actually I do not know anyone that plans to fail at life. However, people FAIL to plan. Start planning your life. You will run into obstacles along your journey. Embrace each challenge with ACTION to solve your situation. Most of the time, nothing will go as planned. However, you have the power within you to take steps to achieve your goals.

Overall, the entire purpose of this blog entry is to make you THINK about your life. Look at your life at the end of it, and live it backwards. Think about everything you want to accomplish, what you want to give back to society, and all of the people involved and take action in your life. Write these questions down and look at them each month. Set your goals and live life to its fullest!

Yours In Continual Success,

Ryan K Jones