Write that Obituary

Face it. Until they figure out a way to immortalize us physically and mentally, you are going to die. Today, Cryonics has only developed so much as to preserve our body after death for a hopeful future of uncertainty. But having said that, for all practical purposes today- you will die. And that day really is not as far off as you would like to believe it is. I have enough friends today who wish they die young, others who wish they die before they turn into a burden to people around, and some, apparently very few, like me, who still wish they never do.

Fact. All of us are going to die. And very few of us prepared for it.

How do we deal with it?

Be prepared.

Bite the bullet. Write your obituary today. Whether you agree with it or not, it will give you an insight to where you have led your life so far, and better still, it will give you a direction for future actions and goals, making it all just a little bit clearer, and challenging.
Some of us were asked to write our obituaries when we were young and in school. We were then full of hope, all of us wrote down that we would be the president of the country, would win multiple Oscars, be compared to a Mother Teresa, and perhaps invent time travel or be the first person to land on Mars.

Today, revisit your thoughts with a renewed clarity of mind.

Put down the values you want to stand for and accomplishments that you wish to achieve. Try not to be held back by today’s ground realities of where you are and what you do. Sounds easy but even five points with corroborative actions will be difficult to come by. Put those five points down and reflect where you come from and where you wish to go to. You might even be on a completely perpendicular track at the moment.
Don’t think too much. Let those values just roll off the tip of the pen. We already know that if you do not believe in yourself and your actions, no one else is going to. Its that simple.

If penning down your obituary sounds morbid, then go ahead and write a brief biography page as someone would when they cover you for your fiftieth or seventy fifth birthdays. What would you as a third person journalist write about the real you for ‘Time’ or ‘People’ magazine on our fiftieth or seventy fifth birthday. Presently what are the chances they even will? Interesting thought? Most definitely.

Note that goals and values change with time, and this is something each of us knows as we develop over each year. Most of us are most certainly not going to get to Mars or become the next Prime Minister or President. But this should not stop you from come real close to what you wish to accomplish in your lifetime.

Take ten minutes off at the start of each year to rewrite that article or obituary. Take another ten minutes off each June to browse through that list again to refresh your mind. Keep the past articles to reflect. Realize the latest one to the best of your abilities.

This is pretty much all you need to be prepared for death.

If you die tomorrow, understanding and knowing that up until today, you have lived the best you could in line with your values, goals and ideals in life up to this point of your death will keep you happily prepared for it. A life lived, understood and fulfilled till it gave you company.

Take ten minutes. Write that obituary.