“Who Has 1,000 People At Their Celebration of Life?” asks Aurora Winter
The Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is a celebration of life and death that takes place Nov 1 – 2, so now is a good time to contemplate the meaning of life — and death.
“Begin with the end in mind,” recommends Steven Covey, the author of “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” So begin with the end of your life in mind. Imagine your own funeral. Who would be there? How many lives have you touched? How many people would miss you?
Will one thousand people attend your final bon voyage party — your celebration of life? How would you need to show up in the world so that thousands of people will miss you when you’re gone? The answer will reveal how each one of us could build a more meaningful life, starting today.
Let’s start off by eliminating some common myths about popularity. Here is a list of 10 things you do NOT need in order to make a meaningful difference.
10 Irrelevant Attributes. You do NOT need to be:
- Thin
- Beautiful
- Rich
- Powerful
- Famous
- Married to Someone Rich, Powerful, or Famous
- An Ivy-League Graduate
- A Social Media Influencer
- Listed in “Who’s Who”
- An elected Leader
Many people spend the bulk of their time chasing things on the above list. How about you? To live up to your full potential to make a difference, who would you need to be?
Looking for role models for clues, I’m inspired by two examples: my niece, Mikayla Martin, who died in 2019 at the age of 22, and R. Buckminster Fuller, who died in 1983 at the age of 87. At a glance, they could not be more different. Mikayla was a young, female athlete and Buckminster was an old, male, engineer. Surprisingly, they have many things in common.
They both impacted many people and as a result, had “standing room only” at their final bon voyage party. They were both determined to live up to their full potential and encouraged others to do the same.
Here’s a list of 10 things they have in common. I hope this list will serve to inspire us to embrace these qualities and express them more fully in our own lives.
10 Excellent Attributes. Decide to be:
- Engaged fully in life
- Determined (to live up to your full potential)
- Caring (cheering others on to achieve their full potential)
- Connected (to people of all ages)
- A life-long learner (expanding your skills and comfort zone)
- Bold (seeing what’s possible where others see what’s impossible)
- Focused on meaning (not money)
- A published author (sharing what you’ve learned)
- Goal-oriented (proactively achieving your “bucket list”)
- A servant Leader
What have you accomplished over the past three months? Both Mikayla Martin and Buckminster Fuller had an amazing zest for life and accomplished an astonishing amount.
Buckminster Fuller often spoke 100 times a year sharing his vision of a world that works for everyone. He wrote over two dozen books. He kept up a vigorous pace, with his last speaking engagement just two weeks before he died at the age of 88.
Mikayla had her eyes on the prize of becoming an Olympic champion. A member Canadian National Ski Cross team, she was the 2018 World Junior Champion. Mikayla didn’t let her success go to her head but instead took the time to encourage other young athletes. Her interests were not confined to sports. For example, she studied public speaking skills at one of my events and her pitch instantly generated $1,490 to fund her bid for the Olympics. She studied stock trading with my brother, Calvin Winter, PhD, and coauthored a book with him.
Mikayla’s celebration of life culminated with dancing and music, and guests wiped their tears away to celebrate her short yet full life. Here’s a taste of what 22-year-old Mikayla did in 90 days:
“In the past three months alone, she was at training camps in Mt. Hood, OR and Hotham, AUS; medaled in two ski cross races in Australia; got her full motorcycle license; earned her open water SCUBA certification; went diving on the Great Barrier Reef; climbed the Chief in under 30 minutes; and organized a sunset fondue dinner at Elfin Lakes with her parents,” shared her mother, Christine Martin.
Let us be inspired by these leadership lessons from the dead. Begin today to live a more meaningful life. Even a 1% change in the trajectory of your life can make a profound difference over the years.
The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark. – Michelangelo
One study followed Yale University graduating seniors: 3% had specific, written goals, 10% had specific, unwritten goals, 87% had no specific goals. Twenty years later, the THREE PERCENT (3%) with specific, written goals outperformed the other 97% COMBINED!
For support creating your specific, written goals and redesigning your life, it is best to get away from your regular routine as this opens up fresh new possibilities. It works best to be guided through a step-by-step process to create a new blueprint to design your ideal life, business, and legacy. If that would serve you, I’d be remiss if I didn’t let you know about my upcoming retreat.
Make Your Next Chapter
… Your Best Chapter!
I’m hosting the upcoming Midlife Reboot Retreat in beautiful San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in February. You will be supported to reimagine your future, release your past, and reignite your passion for life. You will create or renew your life’s purpose. You will leave with a blueprint to design your ideal life, business, and legacy! Find out more and take advantage of the early bird special here: https://aurorawinter.com/mexico/
To recap, life is short.
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Aurora Winter, MBA, Speaker, Trainer, Author www.AuroraWinter.com. Master your message. www.YourMillionDollarMessage.com
We launch thought leaders. Find out how our training, mentoring, events, and done-for-you Thought Leader Book Launch can help you achieve your goals more rapidly and easily. Schedule a business breakthrough call here: http://aurorawinter.com/call/
LIFE DESIGN RETREAT Make Your Next Chapter … Your Best Chapter!
Gift softcover book Thought Leader Launch (you cover s&h only).