So here’s an interesting question for you: What do you want to be remembered for when you’re gone? This strategy takes a little courage, since no one likes to contemplate his or her own demise, but if you decide to take a shot at it, you may surprise yourself by ending up with a much clearer view of how you want your life to look. Since our life on this beautiful earth is limited, it’s only natural that we want to leave some sort of legacy.
Living a purpose-driven life makes this a lot easier. You know what you want to accomplish and what impact you want to have on your family, your loved ones, your friends, your community, and the world at large. If that sounds a little overwhelming right now, don’t let it intimidate you. You’ll get there. Living with purpose starts small for most of us and grows exponentially as we notice the effect we can have on those around us when we start to live intentionally and with an open heart.
Even small changes and accomplishments are worth celebrating. Raising your children well is an amazing feat and a wonderful legacy to leave behind in the world. Or maybe you will be remembered for the small community garden you started that will long outlive you and show others how tasty and rewarding it can be to grow carrots and tomatoes.
As you start to live with more purpose, you may get to a point where you’re wondering what else you can do. You may be asking yourself how you can help people around you and how you can make the world a better place. Asking yourself what you want to be remembered for and what your legacy will be is a great way to figure that out.
Here’s a little exercise you can do today. Get out a piece of paper or use this worksheet Write your Own Obituary and write down what you would like your eulogy to be. It will condense what you want to be remembered for and what values are important to you. Set it aside for a little while, then come back and read it. As you do so, compare it to the life you’re leading right now. What do you need to change? What do you need to work on to make sure your life aligns with how you want to be remembered? That’s your game plan. It may take a while and it may change over time, and that’s okay.
What’s important is that we live our short lives with purpose and make the most of the years we’re given on this earth. Remind yourself of this and live a life full of things that you’ll be proud to be remembered for.
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