Some people know why they do what they do, and others don’t know.
There are very few who know what their plan in life is, for after they have done what they are doing.
When you eventually retire, or the kids leave home, or you’ve got that promotion, or sold that business – ask yourself: ‘and then what?’ Keep asking that question until you can go no further.
To identify people’s plans for life, one of the questions I continually ask people is ‘and then what?’ Asking that question, as many times as it takes, helps people to get closer to their own truth.
Helping people to confront the end of their life is useful in this process: to distill what really matters. What would your epitaph be? What will be your legacy? What will people say about you at your funeral? Moreover, how do you want your days to be, and what kind of life do you want to look back on?
What will it all get for you?
This serves as a guide to how life should be lived today, rather than how you might live life in the future.
I find that most people want very simple things in life, in the end, and yet most people lead quite complex lives in the present. Why? If what really matters to you is health, love and happiness – why not live for that now?
I think about all the years when I was driven by things that were not really me. I think about how much struggle those times created. All I really needed to do was to ask myself better questions about what really mattered and to have the courage to live my life to honour the truth behind the answers to those questions.
Before you start something, it is really important to start with the end. And if you can, start living that end result today.
My good friend AJ Leon describes the problem well in his recent talk from TEDxFargo. At the end of the day, ‘this is not your practice life.’
Live it now.
Live well.
M
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Great post Marc and great TEDx talk that you pointed me to earlier! I love all the fab coaching questions in your post!
Thanks for reminding us about this Marc – reminding ourselves if we’re on track with our big picture life goals (which may indeed be about love, happiness & health, and not necessarily just our own) should be as integrated into our lives as eating and brushing our teeth! 🙂
Thanks for this Marc. Wish you had taught me this in my younger days but I have to say that I am finding contentment in my old age. Maybe some of it is through having the privilege of chatting with you over a cup of coffee. I simply love what I am being reminded of in the 21 day Kindess Challenge. I have found that inspirational
It is a great way of teaching someone how to view their life with love and happiness. God bless you for sharing this profound thought.
Thank you Marc. I will be sharing this post with my Mastermind entrepreneurial group this week if you don’t mind?! I will also be having this conversation with my patients as part of my routine history taking. So wise.
Gosh, you are asking to start with the end? Profound.
Indeed, there is really a profound meaning that we can extract from that simple question. I like the challenge you’ve put into this post. Well-thought!