365 Day Legacy

Working from home gives you a lot of time to think. Despite distractions – playing with the dogs, washing dishes, talking to the cats (we call it being cat-stracted)- there is a lot of time when you can just be, thinking, planning, resting the mind etc. For me my biggest challenge has been trying to still my mind. I am always thinking at the best of times. Golf was usually my way of clearing my mind (zoning out) but that is off the table for now. Potentially we could be working from home till next year. So I’ve been thinking ??

Those who have caught up with me over the past year would have heard me speak about this- my 365-day legacy. I don’t hide it- as a matter of fact I often lead with this conversation, particularly with business meetings. It goes along these lines……

Visualize yourself dying in a year from now. Make it as benign or brutal as you wish. Maybe you fall asleep and don’t wake up. Maybe you get your head chopped off by an armoured knight’s axe as he gallops by on a warhorse. I don’t know. Make it visceral though. Feel the end.

Then listen.

What do you have the urge to do? Who do you want to see? What do you want to create? What is important in life?

Remember you have 1 year till you are dead.

I have been doing this for some time now and it is far easier than you think- in these uncertain times it should be simple.

? When you’re talking with someone, imagine that you’ll both be dead in a year. This will make the conversation better for you and them. It can either shorten or lengthen a meeting depending on how you both feel. Ask yourself- If I am going to die in a year, do I want to spend that time with this person I am meeting with?

? When you’re working, ask yourself if you would spend time on this if you were going to die in a year. If not, then look for a way to delegate, outsource or eliminate it.

? Notice the legacy you are leaving. Your posture, your attitude, and your interactions (spoken or not) with people are part of your legacy. You have a year to stand tall; do you really want to spend today slouching?

? Before you do anything today, ask yourself, “Would I do this, if this was my last year to live?”

You probably won’t die in a year. You probably won’t even die in the next two decades.

On the other hand, you might die before you finish this post.

The only thing we know is that you aren’t going to live forever. Your time in this life is precious. Treat it that way.