Self Care and Fitness Education: How Do You Want To Be Remembered?

Friday, September 11, 2015

How Do You Want To Be Remembered?

Today marks the 14^th anniversary in what was one of the darkest days in American history. On September 11^th, 2001, the United States was attacked on its own soil and thousands of lives perished within less than a couple of hours. The death toll continues to rise as each first responder or citizen who worked the pile, dies from either a respiratory disease or cancer. With so many countless lives lost, I began to ask the question: What lasting impression did they leave on this world?

When asking this question, I am not referring to their actions on that horrific day, but rather to the body of work or example they left behind for us to follow. Without having personal knowledge about those who perished, one is left to ponder what was or might have been. This begs the question: How do you or I want to be remembered while we can still make a difference in this world?

I just finished reading the book The E Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber who touches on this very subject. Mr. Gerber is a small business guru who has guided both start-ups and existing entities down the path to entrepreneurial success. Mr. Gerber relates that in order to know what direction to take your business, you need to have a Primary Aim for your business development program (1995). The Primary Aim is not about the business at all-it is about you the person. In this exercise, the author asks us to tell our own life story by asking the following questions:

· What kind of life do I want?

· What do I want my life to look like, to feel like?

· Who do I wish to be? (Gerber, p. 136)

Gerber goes on to say that when you write this life story, do so as if it were your own eulogy because that is your Primary Aim- “Once you’ve created the script, all you need to do is make it come true. All you need to do is begin living your life as if it were important. All you need to do is take your life seriously. To actively make your life into the life you wish it to be.” (Gerber, pp. 137-38). It took me three days to write my own script where I described it as the three acts in life we pass through, and it was a very cathartic experience to say the least. I envisioned what the third act in life (post-retirement) would be like, and that is the driving force behind my new business venture.

Not everyone is going to open their own shop, but that shouldn’t deter one from doing this exercise for his/her own personal enrichment. I don’t care whether you are (15, 50, or 80), it is never too late to take your life from where you are now, to how you want to be remembered for time and eternity. On this solemn Patriot Day let us reflect on the lives lost, and envision how they were eulogized because that was their Primary Aim. They did not have the time to thoughtfully craft their own-but we can. Please try as this will make the world a much better place to live.