The day life stood still

One of the most important facts in life that we usually ignore most of the time is that it ends … and it ends suddenly without proper preparation to the majority of people on earth. No one in history has been able to escape this fact and no one in the future will. One question we need to think about then is … are we prepared for this moment? What legacy did we leave behind?

Recently, I have attended the funeral of the father of a very dear friend of mine, and all what I knew about him was that he was a very successful business person and a respectful character .. only after he has passed away, I have seen a completely hidden side, at least to me .. I have seen a huge number of people who didn’t relate to him, and weren’t employed by him, coming to his grave during the funeral and crying .. true tears .. not even showing this to public, but trying their best to hide it .. I approached a couple of them and asked them .. did you work for the family? Do you know the sons? ..etc, and their answer was “No” .. he was a great man and a generous community giver .. he supported us and our families and never wanted to advertise this .. he lived with a purpose to be fair, humble and successful .. and he definitely left that behind. I realized that besides his business success, how a great and honorable man he was.

I then asked myself, what kind of legacy am I leaving behind? If I go today,.. this moment, .. what am I leaving behind? Did I achieve what I wanted to achieve in life before I go?

The legacy journey & The Purpose Map

“Living life with a purpose” is the key to answering the question .. How many of us have a “Purpose Map”? Isn’t it time to think of creating one?

Behind the stories of great men, leaving great legacies behind, are great purpose maps drawn long time back .. those great men and women lived their lives moving towards the direction of achieving their goal and they lived their purpose and values every single day .. They saw their dreams true in front of them, and they lived every day to realize them ..

So how do we create a purpose map?

1. List your top 10 most important things in life.
2. Start trading them for each other .. e.g.: Will you trade money for health? Family for work? Social status for public work? ..etc .. trade them all against each other.
3. You will end up with one item / factor that is untradable .. and that will probably become your first spot on the map .. Your destination..
4. Start then prioritizing what you do in life everyday and focus on doing something every day to help you move towards your destination.. Schedule it, then make it a routine..
5. Evaluate your journey every month, do a sanity check and ensure that you haven’t lost focus. Ask yourself how you can speed more towards your goal and remember that this journey has no announced ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival). It might end sooner than you think.

The graveyard whispers

There are definitely more people under the ground than those living above it .. millions and millions of people who walked over this land one day are now under it, with billions of stories of success and failure buried with them…. and what remains is only their legacy, and what people remember them for …

Do you think if we hear them whisper to us through the sand .. what will they say? … Here’s what I can hear them whisper:

1. Time is life’s greatest treasure … don’t waste it … “Trade it off” very carefully and wisely. Almost everyone of us wants to come back to fix something that they could have fixed while alive.
2. Build your legacy while you are alive .. this is the only way you can shape it your way. Do it with a belief in what you leave behind ..
3. There are only two types of people in life .. active and passive .. it’s your choice to play an active role in building your community. Don’t wait for support.. just do what you can before it is too late.
4. True Friends and family members are invaluable assets .. Never trade them off for material life! I would have loved to spend more time with my beloved ones than at office.
5. There is always someone that we need to say “Sorry” to, but now we can’t.. … Don’t delay this until you become in our place .. fix your important relationships now!

Few years back, I buried my own father, and at that moment I felt that I wanted to tell him so many things before he leaves .. only if I knew that he was leaving at this time .. Do you have someone whom you care about out there? Do you have a purpose that you want to realize? Waiting for the right moment? ……………….. Are you sure?

Written by:

Engagement Expert, International Speaker & Pragmatic researcher