Are You Well Rounded?

Have you ever given any thought to what people will say about you at your funeral? Will they remember you fondly, tell delightful stories about your successes and describe how you were an inspiration to them?

We all want to have lived a fabulous life, a life full of satisfaction and meaning. We might want family, friends, and adventure. Or we may desire romance, a fulfilling career or engaging hobbies. Your life could have these and so much more. But how do we achieve this wonderful goal?

Step One:

Sometimes the best way to figure out if you're going in the right direction in life is to look at what you'd like your end results to be. Your obituary and/or eulogy are great measurements for that. So right now, jot down what you'd like people to say about you after you've gone. Try filling in the blanks here:

He/She lived his/her life with __________________________________.

He/She inspired others with his/her _____________________________.

He/She lived by the principles of _________________and ___________.

The three best adjectives to describe him/her were _______, _______ and __________.

You get the idea.

The purpose of this exercise is to give you a guide to live by. You can consult these few sentences when you make decisions, set goals, or decide how to spend your time. Whatever you attempt in life, try to keep aligned with the end goals described above and you should do just fine. Want structure around figuring this out? Check out the excellent book, Living Forward, by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy.

Step Two:

Are you the best version of yourself that you could possibly be? The key to personal development—to becoming a well-rounded person—is taking action to realize your potential. Here are some things to consider doing:

• Take stock of your health. What could you be doing to become a healthier you? Maybe you need to make some nutritional changes, to go get some exercise, or to give up smoking?
• Correct your bad habits. Look on the internet for habit trackers, or try joining a group discussion for help.
• Overcome your fears. Eleanor Roosevelt said we should do one thing every day that scares us. True personal growth can only come about by doing things that fear has prevented us from doing.
• Continue learning. Read the news at least once a week. Read books, and not just for knowledge, but for pleasure as well. Subscribe to helpful newsletters like our Insights.

Will you be someone worth remembering? Only you can make sure the answer is a resounding YES!