Eulogy Goals

It’s hard to think about Kobe Bryant’s passing.  It’s worse to think of his daughter’s death.

Undoubtedly, fans of Kobe are sad that he died and are simultaneously thinking of their own mortality. He was only 41.

Today, how would people describe Kobe?  He was undoubtedly one of the best basketball players of all time.  Everyone that played with him said he had a world-class work ethic. He seemed like a loving father and husband.  But, his name is also associated with less pleasant adjectives.  Some of those adjectives come with being famous but some were brought by his own actions. 

Now, think about what people would say about you at your funeral?  How would your friends and family describe you?  If you’re rich and famous but described as a jerk, are you really a success? 

It’s the end of January.  We all are working on the goals we set for ourselves.  Some we’ve kept.  Some we’ve abandoned.  One type of goal we should think of adding is a eulogy goal.

The focus of a eulogy goal is to be described positively at your funeral.

To put it simply, would people say you were a good person?

This question is worth asking.

And, while goals are great to have, habits are the key to success. 

What habits can you start today that will have people saying positive things about you when you leave this earth?

Here are some habits we can start now:

-Give one good compliment a day

-Call a friend you’ve lost touch with

-Write a ‘Thank You’ letter to someone you admire

-Do an unexpected favor (clean up, buy a meal, give someone a ride, etc.)

-Greet your partner every time he or she walks through the door

-Kiss your partner before you go to bed

-Put your phone down and listen to your kids

-Negotiate with your spouse towards peace

-Count to ten before responding in anger

-Spend time with your parents

-Be the first to say, “Hello,” when you enter a room

-Post only positive responses on social media (or nothing at all)

-Apologize to someone you’ve hurt

I have a lot of work to do in these areas.  And, it feels a bit awkward to schedule these seemingly obvious behaviors.  But, if they were obvious, we’d do them all the time.

In the end, all that matters is that the people you love, love you back.