With the beginning of each new year, we set resolutions to set ourselves on a better, more productive path… but oftentimes after we set them, we become discouraged by them, forget about them and before you know it - it’s another New Year’s Eve and time for another set of resolutions. So what’s the point, right?
Well, consider this single question and wrap your 2017 resolutions around your answer:
“How do you want to be remembered when you are gone?” Self-centered, heartless, callous, ungrateful, even selfish? Probably not. Thoughtful, kind, giving, thankful? Perhaps more likely.
If you deeply consider this question, it has the ability to influence every facet of your life. This influence will not only be reflected in how you treat people on a day-to-day basis, but in making sure your loved ones are cared for if you are no longer able to care for yourself or are no longer here.
- Have you set everything up so that your family is sure to have good Christmases and Thanksgivings after you are gone? aka “healthy, harmonious family relations”
- Do you have enough life insurance? Disability or long-term care?
- Who will help your spouse make big decisions after you are gone such as buying a car, selling real estate or settling your estate? Who will they be able to confide in when it comes to money? Have you initiated this type of relationship with someone you can trust?
If you think from this perspective, you will make the most selfless, motivational New Year’s resolutions possible.
Selfless…because you will be thoughtful of others. Think of this—you buy life insurance because you love someone. And I have never sat with a couple that didn’t love each other more after 50 years than they did on their wedding day.
Motivational…because you will have heartfelt emotion behind your goals. A big reason people never reach their goals is because they set a goal without an emotional attachment. Think about the last New Year’s resolution you made. Did you want to lose 20 pounds, quit smoking, etc.? Why did you want to accomplish these things? Did you truly consider what it would mean to you or to your family? Maybe you thought about it, but my guess is that it was a fleeting thought. You knew it was something you should do, but perhaps you didn’t think through who those decisions actually impact.
I encourage you to seriously think about it. How do you want to be remembered when you are gone?
Last, but not least, treat every day this year as if it were your last. Where would you want to be? Who would you want to be with? What would you want to be doing?
Happy New Year and Carpe Diem!!!