EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Show Up
Death is scary. An uncontrollable event which puts an end to all events. This is why we mostly avoid thinking about it.
But thinking about it can also be empowering.
And one of the most productive ways towards empowerment is to write your own eulogy…creating a magnetic pull..drawing yourself forward to where you want to be as a person.
How you get there will come into sharp focus, enabling you to make the best decisions, break comfortable patterns, create new habits, and start moving toward a better future.
Engage
In his book The Road to Character, David Brooks makes a distinction between “resume virtues” and “eulogy virtues”.
Resume virtues make you competitive in the job market and contribute to external success. They aren’t bad in themselves, but when we step back from the hustle and bustle, we feel a vague sense that something is missing. And sometimes, if you’re lucky, that sense isn’t so vague.
Eulogy virtues, on the other hand, foster meaning in a fragmented world. These virtues lead to a life well lived — kindness, compassion, love, humility, wisdom, courage, and integrity to name a few — and are how we want to be known.
It’s the Eulogy virtues that gave life meaning…and what we set our hearts, minds and efforts towards being and becoming.
Do The Work
To get started, first take time to consider the lyrics to “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield.
As you listen to the lyrics, think about the following:
What do you want to “reach for?”
What is it about how you want to be remembered that perhaps is yet to be written?
What inhibitions do you need to release?
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Eulogy Exercise
Next, we move on to the Eulogy Exercise.