- “In South Korea, living funerals are a growing practice. Participants write their last will and testament, then attend their own funeral ceremony. They wear funeral shrouds and lie in a closed coffin for ten minutes. The intent is to help people contemplate their death so they will come away with a fresh perspective on their life.”
That is such a smart thing to do. Only recently I started creating my legacy intentionally but writing down what people would say at my obituaries, which is why I volunteer a lot more because those are the things that bring me the most joy in life is when I am being of service, and I am impacting lives more than just myself.
2. “He wanted much more. Now that he had seen the reality of his reputation, Nobel would change his story. Alfred committed himself to improving the world and society. He drafted his will, leaving 94 percent of his fortune to set up the Nobel Prizes that would recognize the greatest achievements of mankind. He chose five areas of study he believed could most benefit humanity: Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. The Nobel Committee later added a sixth prize for Economic Sciences. Since its inception, the Nobel Foundation has awarded prizes to over nine hundred people.”
This was inspiring to see someone create such a powerful legacy because he did not want to be known to kill lives but being able to help the world be a better place. How many times have we sold out to make more money? I do understand that making money that helps you create the life that you want but thinking intentionally about your life’s purpose and taking actions a day at a time is the way to go.
3. The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends. I wish I had let myself be happier.
This is so powerful to write down all of the things you want to create a bucket life and execute one day at a time. I’m so proud of Kevin for writing his book. Releasing my collaboration book last month was one of my proudest life achievements so far. It’s inspiring when people you know go after their dreams.
4. Wish not so much to live long as to live well. —Benjamin Franklin
Living your fullest life, especially now during a pandemic, can be harder than ever but seeing how limited life is, I was able to commit to some of the things I was more scared of. With my wedding coming up next month and a house closing in December, I am so proud of myself for making a crappy situation a good one. =)
5. “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” Sometimes it’s helpful when somebody reminds you how good your life already is.
How many of us always want more and shoot for more. We are always striving for the next promotion, next payday, next vacation. Whenever I build gratitude lists that sometimes go up to 100%, I feel much more connected to life and the universe.
6. “Why is it we so rarely appreciate the amazing things in our lives when they are right in front of us and only realize how special they are once they’re gone?”
This is so true. Now that I am no longer have the LinkedIn office to work out of I miss it so much. I mean, I always thought it was special, but nothing being in the office for six months now has been driving me crazy. It’s true that you tend to miss things once it’s out of our lives.
7. In the video we are in the doctor’s office. When the audiologist turns on the cochlear implants, Andrea will hear for the first time. She is there with her boyfriend, whose voice she has never heard. They turn the implants on and, as expected, Andrea is overjoyed as she takes in the surrounding sounds. Then it gets even better. Her boyfriend gets down on one knee, takes out a ring, and proposes. He says, “I wanted to make this one of the first things you hear . . .” and then he asks Andrea to marry him.9 To see the joy experienced as a deaf person receives the gift of hearing will impress on us the wonderful gift of hearing we already have.
One of the beautiful things I love most about my soon to be wife is that she loves watching cute videos, and she cries during it. I love her so much because she experiences the true nature of life and its quite beautiful.
8.”You can create purpose in a single moment, and it can affect people for the rest of their lives.”
I love what Kevin is saying about its just a choice, a decision. Leadership is a choice-creating the life that you want is just a choice. We can become victims of our circumstances or take action and push forward. What will you choose with your limited time on Earth?
9. “It was a powerful statement for Pee Wee to stand and support his black teammate. It affected the crowd watching. Pee Wee’s actions spoke volumes. If a Southern Hall of Fame white player could accept a black man on the field, maybe everyone else could too.”
What was respectful was that he stood up for something bigger than himself. It might not be the popular thing to but when you stand for something greater than yourself. You can look back on life and be happy with the decisions you have made.
10. “But the toughest part of the healing process was how desperately thirsty I was after waking up. After twelve hours in surgery my body was weak, and the doctors monitored me closely to make sure there were no complications. I couldn’t eat or drink anything to minimize the chances of throwing up, which could tear out the stitches holding me together. My mouth was parched. All I could think about was how thirsty I was. I would have paid $1,000 for a glass of water. I pleaded with doctors and nurses to give me a drink. For three days the answer was always no. Those were the hardest three days of my life.”
So true- how many of us have been in really crappy situations, and then you realize how amazing it was and then you start to appreciate these things. I had a friend who died from a drug overdose, and I remember dodging his calls and not wanting to take the time to hang out with him. When someone in your life is missing, you start to realize to make the most out of the memories today.
I hope you enjoyed these takeaways. I would highly recommend Kevin’s book. Let me know what you think of it below.
