Not to jolt you with this topic, but, if you were to unexpectedly depart from this life, what are some words and phrases you’d be pleased that others used to describe you, what it was like to work with you, to know you?
If you’re not keen on the way you think you’d be remembered, you can do something about it. Change what you focus on. Do something differently. Start or encourage something that is meaningful to you. This will shift attention to another aspect of you. Here’s what Alfred Nobel did.
“Alfred Nobel was the inventor of dynamite. When his brother Ludvig died in France, a newspaper mistakenly printed an obituary about Alfred instead of Ludvig.* As a result, Alfred had the unusual experience of reading his own obituary. To his dismay, the focal point of the piece was the destruction brought about through his invention of dynamite. Devastated to think he would be remembered that way, Alfred gathered friends and loved ones around him and asked them, “What’s the opposite of destruction?” The almost unanimous reply was “Peace.” As a result, Alfred redesigned his life and set aside the bulk of his estate to establish the Nobel Prize so that he would be remembered for peace, not destruction.”
You don’t have to create an international prize, but you could work on something locally that is meaningful to you. Or, shift the way you deal with something or someone. Or, start something anew. Or, … you have something within you that you want to do. What comes to mind?
Mary
Excerpted from: Lead Like Jesus Revisited / Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time by Ken Blanchard, Phil Hodges, Phyllis Hendry
*Newspapers and other media outlets write obits in advance for well-known people in case there’s a sudden, unexpected death.
