You might consider this the ultimate “begin with the end in mind” exercise and, really, it falls perfectly in line with one’s attempt to create their ideal future – their success.

Rest assured, there isn’t a greater ‘end’ to consider than YOUR END- (your death/departure from this planet).

So, if it’s helpful to ‘begin with the end in mind’ for goals and projects you can bet it’s pretty darn valuable for your life.

For those who haven’t heard the story there is a terrific anecdote about Dr. Alfred Nobel. What you may not know is that while today everyone hears his name “Nobel” and thinks “Peace Prize” originally, this was far from the case.

In fact, turns out that in 1888 a French paper erroneously proclaimed “The merchant of death is now dead.” The story went on to explain that the man who invented and patented dynamite (his original claim to fame) and a faster, cheaper, quicker way to kill people died in a fatal explosion. As you might expect, a very alive and able Dr. Nobel read this account of his death and its merciless headline and was mortified by the prospect that his lifetime work and his legacy would be relegated and labeled synonymous with death and destruction. This was not the legacy the good doctor had in mind.

Turns out, after reading his own obituary he instantly knew he had to redefine just what his life was to mean; what he was to represent and how he wanted to be remembered.

Drum roll please…
So, here’s a couple KEY questions for YOU to answer…

What do you want your life to represent?

How would you like to be remembered?

Recommend you spend at least an hour and begin writing your own obituary (now). Yes, begin with the end in mind. The more time you spend, the greater the value will be and you will more clearly define what it is you’d like your life to represent. The paradox is that by focusing on what you want your absence/memory to represent the stronger your presence will gain those attributes. You can also be assured that your sense of destiny and direction will immediately improve and clarity, purpose and meaning will all be elevated by via this exercise. Write your own obituary. Several times if necessary. It may take weeks or months but the longer you can meditate on those two questions above the more power and better you will feel about yourself in the now.

Remember Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous gem, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” And, what lies within us is (or course) our imagination, our creativity. The beauty is, this becomes your CREATIVE CHOICE. This is the first “C” in your succcess and it’s tied to your ability to envision your ideal future (alive & not).

What do you want your life to represent? How would you like to be remembered?