Write your eulogy. You heard what I said. Write it. Include details of all the things you have accomplished in life.
Did you go to university? Where did you work? What were your hobbies, interests, or pastimes? Who are your surviving family? All these items are typical in a standard eulogy.
But these are things you did.
Take it a step further.
What have you done for someone else? Whose life have you touched in a meaningful way? What have you done for someone else?
I’m sure I’ve written about this before, so stop me if you’ve heard this. Lol. We chose to come here. To this little planet. While in the spirit world, we made the conscious decision to manifest in human form, wearing this ridiculous meat suit. They only last so long before they get tired, sick, and break down.
We came here with a purpose. We came here to learn a lesson. We came here to overcome some hardship or trial. We came here to mend relationships we may have botched up in some previous lifetime.
The most boring movie to watch is one in which the protagonist … has no antagonist. He goes to work, watches sitcoms, sleeps, and repeats. He is never challenged. He never faces hardship. He is never tested. He doesn’t grow. Snore. No Rotten Tomatoes score for this one.
We came here with a purpose, but we also brought something with us. We arrived with a gift. We each have a gift. We each can do something. I’ve told my clients for years that the highest goal anyone can achieve is to discover one’s gift, work it into a talent or skill, and share it with the world. If one can earn a living this way, he never goes to work.
What is your gift? Start by searching for your natural inclinations or affinities. What do you like to do? At what do you naturally excel? Are you a good athlete? Are you good with your hands? Are you naturally inclined toward playing an instrument? Hell, Bill Dance made millions fishing. Yes, recreational fishing. He entered and won enough contests that he never had to go to work. The only reason I know his name is that he was on TV. But he shared his gift by teaching others to fish, so they could enjoy being outdoors. (Oddly enough, I’ve only watched about 10 minutes of his show. And having spent 15 years of my life working 5 jobs, I never got to fish.)
Bob Ross loved to paint, and he had a brilliant outlook on life. He developed a painting style that anyone could follow. He spoke to us every week on TV, painting "happy little trees" and teaching us that any mistake can be made into something beautiful. By teaching us to paint trees and mountains, he taught us that we can fix anything in our lives if we look at it the right way. This was his gift, and he shared it with millions.
Once you reveal your gift, share it. Give it to someone. This is your purpose in life. You only have so many years here before you have to go back home. Spend this time wisely. Touch another person’s life.
Here’s a story of mine.
One night, while on third shift as a cop, I stopped at a quickie mart for a coffee. As I walked out the door holding a fresh 16oz cup of black gold, a young dude was standing in the empty parking space right outside the door. He was about 8 feet away.
He pointed at me and said, “I remember you.” My mind began calculating options and consequences.
“Well, I don’t remember you.” I told him.
He moved three steps closer, “You arrested me.”
“I arrest a lot of people, that’s part of my job.”
I was going to give him one more step before …
Then he offered his hand, “I want to thank you.” I was honestly shocked. He began telling me the story of a traffic stop at Cherry and Grand. He was one of five people in the car. I took him to jail.
I told this man that I didn’t arrest him. I was a backup unit. I don’t even know what his charges were. I only drove him to headquarters and then I left.
He informed me that I talked to him all the way to headquarters. I treated him like a human being, with no disrespect or condescension. What I told him that night changed his life forever. He said I convinced him of his worth, that his path in life is greater than this. He took my words to heart. He no longer runs around with those people. He was going to the local Community College for EMT and wants to drive an ambulance so he can help other people, the way I helped him.
I shook his hand, and we parted ways. I never saw him again. That night was nearly twenty years or so ago.
Sometimes the unimportant things we do or say can have profound impact on other’s lives. Some people, like our children, will know us their entire lives. Some people will see us for a flash, and we have only a moment to make a lasting impression.
And it’s supposed to be this way. We are supposed to affect other’s lives. We are meant to be encouragers and builders of lives. What meaning could life have if we only spent it on ourselves?
This is the real purpose of a eulogy.
This is what people say after we are gone. When we are buried, all we leave behind is the memories others maintain of us. Memories of how we made them feel.
Find your gift, share it with the world, and be enriched while you enrich others. This is what life is meant to be. This is why we came here. Not to buy a fancier car, “The luxury you deserve.” Or to go on a better vacation. Or to wear a more expensive watch. Or to memorize stats of some athlete you’ll never meet of a sport you never played. Or to drink more than your college roommate.
We are here to touch other’s lives. To leave a lasting impression that moves them to realize their own potential greatness.
Look at that eulogy you wrote.
Rewrite it from someone else’s perspective. How did you touch their life? What will they remember of you now that you are no longer with them? What will your loss mean to them?
This is the focus of life. To impact those around us.
Find your gift, share it, and be enriched by enriching others.
Look at your eulogy again. Now, rewrite it again. Rewrite it the way you want it to sound. Write this eulogy as if you accomplished grand things, learned much, lived well, touched many lives, and loved for a lifetime.
Now, spend the rest of your life living up to it.
I’m on the backstretch of my own life. I have thirty years left. Forty at best. My only aim is to touch as many lives as possible so they may achieve their own greatness. That they may in turn touch the lives of others. And so on. When my time comes and I unzip this meatsuit, I hope no one comes to my visitation “just to make sure the sumbitch is dead.”
My goal is to live up to my eulogy.
Weeg
Joe “Weeg” Weigant is a Holistic Health Practitioner, Metaphysician, and Empowerment Coach. He combines bodywork, energy work, and coaching to relieve anxiety and depression and balance the nervous system. Weeg coaches his clients to drop the white flag of victimhood and pick up the banner of empowerment, inspiring them to stop riding in life’s trunk, take the wheel, and steer their lives in the right direction.
Weeg sells herbal products by Nature’s Sunshine, Pure Herbs Ltd. and Juice Plus. He teaches Karate and Tai Chi, Reiki Certification, as well as seminars and workshops in metaphysical and spiritual matters. Weeg is available for sessions at Tri State Holistic Wellness by appointment only.
Contact by text 812.568.5356, or Facebook Messenger to set an appointment.