What’s the BIG dream of your life? Do you have one? Have you reached it yet? Are you living it? Several years ago, I was going about my life, like I always have and even though I don’t work 9-5, it was that kind of existence. The flow of life for me included going to work during the week and not working on the weekends. And what I would end up doing on the weekends depended on the weather, how much work there was to do around the house and on how tired I was. I wasn’t aware of having a dream, much less living it.
That all changed while I was taking a personal and professional development series called XCels. One of the exercises we did was called “Your Eulogy”. That exercise got me thinking in a whole new way. The DREAM is “how do you want to be remembered?”; for your accomplishments, for the quality of your relationships, what is your legacy? Is it that you leave some kids with a larger, extended family or is it that you’ve inspired them to grow and do the same for their children? Are you satisfied living your life the way you are right now, or is there something that you want to change? Comfort and Growth are on two opposite sides of the spectrum.
It’s important to remember that there is no right or wrong answer, and that your answer does not reflect on the quality of person that you are. For me, it came down to one question: Is the way I’m living my life going to end with a few regrets or none? To paraphrase Dylan Thomas, I will finally go gently into that good night once I have lived as much, as hard and as bravely as I can.