Recently, I was advised to write my own eulogy and no, I haven’t been diagnosed with an incurable illness and my overall health is quite good, thankfully. The exercise is meant to be a form of goal setting. It gives you an awareness of your life and how you would like to live it. The thinking is that if I write down what I want people to say about me when I’m gone, then I will live my life with no regrets and actually live each day making those things happen. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but also a bit scary, if you know what I mean.
Wasn’t even sure how to begin and so I did a little research. Don’t you just LOVE the internet?? One writer suggested using 3 wishes as a basis for your own eulogy. The first wish is that those we love understand what we lived for; our values and intentions. The second wish answers the question, “Has my life made a difference?” Finally, the third wish is our hope for those we love.
Another suggested considering the following questions: How do you want to be remembered? What personal characteristics do you want people to remember you by? What do you want to have accomplished? What will have been important to you in your life? What will your lasting legacy be?
Lastly, one suggested to immediately make a list of 10 things that you really want to do before you die. The items on the list could be as simple as, “Inspire one person” or as noble as, “Start a non-profit foundation.”
So, how does this all apply to training, you may be wondering.
The eulogy writing reminded me of an exercise we do in our Advanced Instructional Techniques class for our continued development as instructors. In the exercise, each person writes down a list of things that s/he would like the learners to say about them after a course. The statements are supposed to be very specific, such as “Marsha is a consummate professional. She has a fantastic sense of humor and a very personable touch. She is able to draw people in and create a safe learning environment.” Here, just like writing your eulogy, the thinking is that if you read the statement regularly, you will begin to visualize and present yourself the way you want to be perceived. In short, you can write down what you want people to say about you and then take steps to make it happen.
So whether it’s thinking about your end-of-course evaluations or how you want to be remembered, it’s never too late to work on your dreams – or sharpen your training skills!
Marsha
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