WHO WILL CRY WHEN YOU DIE??

Imagine the recent death of a near and dear one - could be a close friend or a family member. The very thought of DEATH may send a chill down the spine. This is known as THANATOPHOBIA – the fear of death.

Who will cry when you die?? A harsh reality, but something we may never have given a thought of.

The very fact that we are alive and breathing is a gift to us, another opportunity given to us to live. Very few of us realize this.

As I reflect on my own life and see people around me, I feel most of us have taken our lives for granted. We assume we are immortals and nothing can happen to us till we are 70, 80 or even 90 and hence there is always a tomorrow for everything.

However, the fact of life and the beauty is its uncertainty. That family member or friend could have been any of us, even you………who will cry when you die???

As much as I am working on it, I would like you to give a thought at this moment as to what legacy are you leaving behind???

What I mean by legacy is not the material assets that we spend a lot of energy earning in our life but the core human values that we have surrounded our lives with. The number of lives around us that we have impacted positively.

In past 4 years - since the beginning of 2014 the death of 3 people impacted my life in a big way. It made me dig deep and do some soul-searching.

First was a friend who @ 50, died in his office washroom in Dubai. He left a wife and 3 young children behind.

The second was my Dad, in March 2015, after suffering from the effects of diabetes and being bed-ridden for nearly 3 years.

And the third was my cousin Srikkanth, in April 2016, younger to me by 6 months. He died peacefully in his sleep.

My cousin’s death impacted me the most not just because he was young. Also because of the way he had led his life. Sometime, in 2004 he left a well-paid job in the US and settled down in Bangalore. He immersed himself in social activities helping hundreds and thousands of less fortunate lives by providing them food, clothing and education. When he died thousands of people thronged his home to pay their last tributes. Even greater number paid their tributes through social media and emails as they could not be present physically.

The idea of leaving a legacy may sound daunting. However, it is not about appearing in print media or TV regularly or becoming popular. It is quietly going about impacting lives around us positively, in whatever small way we can.

I believe every human being is born with a purpose in life. But very few discover the same.

There are many ways of positively impacting the lives of people around us even without spending any money. Apart from distributing used clothes, books and toys we may

-   take time to educate children and adults who didn’t get the privilege to go to school,

-   empower less fortunate lives with a skill that we are an expert at.

-   Lead our life with integrity and core values thereby impacting lives of people around us. Being an influencer in a positive way.

Children learn more from us by seeing what we do, than by doing what we ask them to do.

The title “Who will cry when you die” is inspired by a book written by Robin Sharma. He urges his followers to regularly imagine participating in their own funeral.

For all those who are living a life of also-rans, who have to motivate themselves often in a stressful world, I suggest, try it - imagine participating in your own funeral. Imagine who says what, how many people are around and who still loves you. This will make you get up and set you in action to a more purposeful life.

My Life purpose goes as follows:

I see myself, inspiring millions of people, through my books, public seminar, and personal coaching, deal with Stress and lead a healthy, successful and purposeful life.

What is yours?

NOTES:

What is my 1 take away from this article (if any):………………......................................…………………………………………………………………….......…………………..

What will be my Action (if any): ……………………………………................................

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