This Will Change How You Live Your Life

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes, 12 seconds

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You won’t be remembered for how many hours you worked or the bonuses you received.

You’ll be remembered for who you showed up for and how you made them feel.

Live now the way you want to be remembered later.

Here’s today’s wisdom represented visually:

How do you want to be remembered?

Is it as a supportive friend? A loving partner? A dependable parent?

Or is it the top salesman in 2022? A LinkedIn Top Voice?

Let’s look at the saying that inspired this newsletter:

This was one of the most common regrets Bronnie Ware heard from people in their final days.

The pursuit of career often came at the cost of time with family, presence, and peace.

Our culture often celebrates the hustlers and high-achievers, but it rarely asks whether any of it will matter in the long-run.

In The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, palliative carer Bronnie Ware recorded what people said when time ran out.

Not one patient said they wished they’d earned more, climbed faster, or spent more weekends working.

Their regrets were more profound:

• “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”

• “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.”

• “I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.”

• “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.”

• “I wish that I had let myself be happier.”

So if you want to ensure that you don’t die with these same regrets, here are 3 ways to live more for your eulogy than your resumé:

1. Define what success looks like. 

   Don’t let the world hand you a definition.

   Success might mean being present for bedtime, having deep friendships, or living aligned with your values. If you don’t define it, someone else will.

2. Schedule for your legacy.

   Put first things first - on purpose.

   Time with people you love, rest, creativity, acts of service - these don’t happen by accident. If they matter, they need a place on your calendar, not just your wish list.

3. Measure your days by meaning.

   Instead of asking, “Was I productive or successful today?”, try asking, “Did I connected to my values today?”, “Was I kind?”, or “Did I move toward the life I want to be remembered for?”

   That shift in focus and mindset can reshape how you live.

Here are 3 journal prompts to help you explore today’s wisdom:

• If someone wrote my eulogy today, what would I hope they say?

• What have I been sacrificing in the pursuit of success?

• What is one change that I could make this week to make my desired eulogy more likely?

Want to learn more about journaling? Join Journal Wiser today!

If you want to learn more about The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying, you won’t want to miss today’s sponsor: Shortform.

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Catch you in the next issue!

Thanks,
Michael