Memento Morrie
"The truth is, once you learn how to die, you learn how to live." - Morrie Schwartz
Morrie Schwartz was a beloved sociology professor at Brandeis University.
His infectious smile, positive attitude, and compassion for others made it difficult not to love him.
He was a small man that took small steps, as if a strong wind could, at any time, whisk him into the clouds.
Nevertheless, even in his late 70s, he had more energy than most of his students on any given day.
Then suddenly, Morrie’s life drastically changed in the summer of 1994 when he was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).
The doctors told him he had less than a year to live, maybe a few more months in the best-case scenario.
Sadly, they were right.
Morrie, however, did something many of us would not venture to do if we were in his position.
Shortly after the diagnosis, he decided he would devote the remainder of his time to sharing his wisdom and insights with the world.
One of his former students, Mitch Albom, met with Morrie every Tuesday to take notes on his life and distill the important lessons.
They covered many topics including love, work, community, family, aging, forgiveness, and death.
Mitch would go on to write a book on the lectures, titling it “Tuesdays with Morrie.”
Almost thirty years later, “Tuesdays with Morrie” has sold over 18 million copies and continues to change countless lives around the world.
In this edition, I’m going to share the top lessons and insights from the book, many of which you can start applying today in your life.
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Top Quotes & Lessons from Morrie
“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in. We think we don’t deserve love, we think if we let it in we’ll become too soft. But a wise man said it right: ‘Love is the only rational act’.”
Lesson #1: Embrace love and vulnerability.?Open yourself up to giving and receiving love. Foster deep connections with others, and don't be afraid to be vulnerable.
“It’s become quite clear to me as I’ve been sick. If you don’t have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from a family, you don’t have much at all.”
Lesson #2:?Cherish relationships.?Prioritize your relationships with family, friends, and loved ones. Nurture these connections, as they provide meaning and support in life.
“So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’ve been chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning in your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
Lesson #3:?Find meaning in your work.?Engage in work that aligns with your values and passions, and contributes to the lives of others. This will help you feel fulfilled and more connected to your life's purpose.
“We need to forgive ourselves. For all the things we didn't do. All the things we should have done. You can't get stuck on the regrets of what should have happened. Forgive yourself before you die. Then forgive others.”
Lesson #4:?Embrace forgiveness.?Learn to forgive yourself and others for past mistakes. Forgiveness helps to heal emotional wounds and allows you to move forward in life.
“I give myself a good cry if I need it, but then I concentrate on all the good things still in my life.”
Lesson # 5:?Practice gratitude.?Regularly express gratitude for the blessings in your life, both big and small. This helps you to maintain a positive outlook and appreciate the abundance around you.
“Everyone knows they’re going to die but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently.”
Lesson #6:?Accept your mortality.?Acknowledge and accept the inevitability of death. By doing so, you can live more fully, without fear, and make the most of the limited time you have.
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?“Living Funeral” & Weekly Challenge
When one of Morrie’s colleagues died suddenly of a heart attack, Morrie attended his funeral and returned home dejected.
It dawned on him that his colleague never got to hear all the wonderful things people said about him at his funeral, which he considered a “big waste.”
Morrie then gets the idea to host his own "living funeral" and invite his close friends and relatives to come over to pay their respects ahead of his death.
The “living funeral” was a great success as guests laughed and cried together, alongside Morrie.
Through this unusual gathering, Morrie got to hear all the ways he impacted those who meant the most to him.
Weekly Challenge:
I assume many of you reading this newsletter don’t have the time to host a “living funeral.”
Therefore, I challenge you instead to write down the most important people in your life that you’d want at your funeral.
Reach out to them this week and ask them how you’ve impacted their life. In return, share how they’ve impacted your life.
Write down or record the exchange. Keep it in a journal or a safe place you can return to whenever you’re having a rough day.
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Watch or Read “Tuesdays with Morrie”
“Tuesdays with Morrie” was adapted into a television film in 1999. Directed by Mick Jackson, it features Jack Lemmon as “Morrie Schwartz” in a role for which he won an Emmy award.
To watch the full film on YouTube, click the link below:
If you’d like to read a sample of the book or purchase it on Amazon, click the link below:
Twitter Highlights
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