Plan your Epitaph

Every other day, there’s some special observance or interesting holiday being celebrated. National Youth Confidence Day. National Cheesecake Day. National Reptile Awareness Day. (Yes, it’s a thing.) I recently heard one that got me thinking—  National Write Your Epitaph Day.

At first glance, such an exercise might seem morbid. But I think it’s a really great call to live with intention. By writing your own epitaph (or obituary), you’re essentially creating a roadmap for how you hope to live the rest of your life.

Try this: set a timer for 15 minutes and write in a notebook using the following prompts:

-       What do you hope your obituary will say about your accomplishments and, more importantly, your character?

-       What will your legacy be?

-       How do you want to be remembered?

When those 15 minutes are up, go back and look at what you’ve written. Highlight anything that feels especially important to you and speaks to your values. Now take a few more minutes and spend some time thinking about what you’d have to do to be remembered in the way you described. What long-term goals should you focus on to solidify your legacy? What small actions can you take every day to live in accordance with your deepest values and what you ultimately find most important?

Life is miraculous and beautiful and brief. Get clear about what it’s important to you and what kind of life you want to lead. (Epitaphs are short. Tweet me yours @TracySansonMD. I’d love to see what you come up with!)