One Practical Way to Change Your Life Forever

We spend time planning all kinds of things – to make the paycheck stretch as far as possible, for summer vacation, for the holiday office party, for the kid’s birthday parties – the list goes on.

But, let’s face it – most of us “waste” very little time planning for LIFE. In fact, when we read a sentence like the previous one, our temptation is to quit reading – to close the blog post. (I’m glad you didn’t!)

The truth is that developing a life or business plan doesn’t mean that everything will turn out exactly the way you map it out. It simply means that you have invested time and effort into discovering what matters most in life or in your work. What do you value most?

Several years ago, I read a book that profoundly impacted the way that I think about my life – E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber. In his book about why most organizations fail, Michael Gerber wrote:

Imagine that you are about to attend one of the most important occasions of your life. It will be held in a room large enough to seat all of your friends, family, business associates—anyone and everyone who is important to you and to whom you are important. Do you have the picture?

The walls are draped with deep golden tapestries. The lighting is subdued, soft, and casting a warm glow on the faces of your expectant guests. Chairs are handsomely upholstered in a matching golden fabric. And the golden carpeting is deeply piled.

At the front of the room is a platform, and on the platform a large, beautifully decorated table with candles burning at either end. On the table, in the center, is the object of everyone’s attention- a large, shining, ornate box. And in the box… is YOU! Can you see yourself lying in the box? There’s not a dry eye in the room.

Among everyone that has showed up, are the people who matter most to you. Who are they?

Write them down.

Take a few seconds right now to write down who they are – individuals or groups of people – who is there? Here’s who I wrote down: God, Sarah, Madison, Parents, Friends, Colleagues.

Now, imagine that these people that matter so much to you have five minutes to speak. What do they remember most about you? Appreciate most about you? What did your life mean to them? What impact did it have? And what have they lost with your passing?

After reading these questions, I listed exactly how I want to be remembered by each of these people – what I would want them to say at my funeral. So, take a few minutes right now – and you do it.

So, write down how you want to be remembered by each one – a paragraph for each is plenty.

Like many that I have led through this exercise, you’ll be surprised by how it impacts your perspective of your life and work.

My answers to these questions became my envisioned future for top-priority areas of my life. They are the foundation for my personal plan – you can read more about creating your personal plan right here.

Now here’s the good news – you aren’t dead yet! That’s great news, huh?! You can do something about your life! You can make it matter to those who matter most to you. Then you can still achieve these outcomes. And you can take the steps now to begin shaping the outcomes of your life – these eulogies.

Life doesn’t come with a road map – and there’s no universal list of pros and cons for your path in life. You must simply find what you were made to do and commit to it – no matter what.

I’m so committed to helping you succeed in your life and work that we developed the SIMPLE Personal Life Plan Guide and Template just for you! I want you to enjoy the freedom and clarity that comes from identifying your top priorities and I want you to avoid the struggles that I faced personally.

Click here to download the Simple Personal Life Plan Guide and Template.

Once you download it and try it out, shoot me an email. You can even send me your draft to review for you. I’m looking forward to hearing about the dramatic improvements to your life and work.