Covey and Curly Know Best
You are unique in all the world! You probably do not hear that enough. No one else in the history of the planet has shared your exact experiences, assimilated information the way you have based on those experiences, thought your thoughts or dreamt your dreams. Since this is true, why not ask yourself:
What Does Success Mean to You?
Is it money, health, love of family and friends, social responsibility and charity, or respect, power, prestige? If you’re like most, it’s not just any one, but a unique combination that I like to call your “success complexion.”
Purpose and Success.
We all remember what Socrates said about the unexamined life. Steve Jobs says: “Your time is limited so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” These are powerful admonitions to action; so, what story is worth your life?
I am reminded of Curly (Jack Palance) in City Slickers, who tells Billy Crystal’s character that life is about “one thing,” and that “one thing” is unique to you; you alone must discover what it is.
Steven Covey, author of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, encourages us to be “proactive” and to “begin with the end in mind.” Please join me in the following exercise.
Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall.
Draw a line down the middle of a sheet of paper. On the right, write down 10 things most important to you, people, goals, activities, values, etc. and rank them. Collectively, or some specific combination of these may be your One Thing. On the left, record 10 things on which you spend the most time. Now compare them.
If you’re like many, you’re spending too much time on things that do not rank highly or even appear on your “important” list. If so, perhaps your end in mind for 2009 can be proactively spending more time with those you love and/or on your One Thing.
The Examined Life.
What is the one thing you would like to be known or remembered for? Do you have a motto you live your life by? Which life-lessons do you want to pass down? Do your (grand) children know the struggles you endured to earn your wealth and wisdom?
Capture and Transfer.
You could record this in a personal journal or other self-prepared document. However, since so few of us make the time to keep journals, a sound approach could include working with another to hold you accountable to completion and help you prepare the document(s).
If you would like help in this introspective process, we can integrate this into the actual will or trust we draft, or draft a separate document known as an “ethical will.”
“Yet, you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow; you are just a vapor that appears for a little while then vanishes away.” James 4:14.
Don’t let your life’s unspoken or unrecorded meaning vanish like a snowflake melted. Take action now to memorialize your values for greater peace of mind today, and your legacy beyond.