I took Melissa away for Valentine’s Day this past weekend. Nothing crazy. We just went to Maryland for a couple of days. I gotta tell you though, it was awesome. No screaming kids. No laundry. No Facebook or e-mail. Just us for a couple of days. In fact. It was so great we decided that moving forward we’ll have a weekend away together every year.
Today, I want to talk to you about something pretty deep. I’m the kind of person that doesn’t think too much about death because I’m so busy living. The reality is there will come a time when we’re gone. Friends and family will come to pay their respects. People will stand up and talk about what our life meant to them. I know. This isn’t the typical newsletter you’d expect from a “fitness guy.” Stay with me though.
Rather than leave what people will say about us by chance, why not be purposeful about it? Although it might seem a little creepy, go ahead and write your ideal eulogy.
We hear a lot of talk about bucket lists. There’s nothing wrong with that. I definitely have some things I want to do before I die. However, a life list is even more intriguing. I’d never heard of a life list until I heard author and leadership expert John Maxwell mention it. He got the idea from his mentor, UCLA coaching legend John Wooden. Wooden’s dad gave him a life list when he was a young man. This was a list of things he should do each day to make the most of it. There were things like “Make friendship an art” and “Make each day a masterpiece” on this list.
As soon as I heard this idea I knew I wanted my very own life list. While Melissa and I were away we decided to each create our own. While I’m not going to get into all of the things on my list, I’ll share a few.
- Serve and inspire others
- Pray for guidance, be thankful, and take action every day
- Go back for the girl
The last one is a reminder for me to never loose site of the things that are most important. Do I have big dreams? Yes. Do I want to have a wildly successful career? I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t important to me. With that said, it wouldn’t mean anything if I didn’t have the girl (Melissa) to share it with.
I’ve been in the personal training field for a long time. Back when it was only rich people that had trainers. Unfortunately I’ve seen some very “successful” people become so driven that they lost their family. Those people were never happy. I decided that no matter how successful I got, I’d always go back for the girl.
A life list consists of the things that are most important each day. The things you want to be known for and you’d be proud if someone read them about you when it was all over.
So go ahead. Make your life list. You’ll be glad you did.
Let me know…..
- If you’re up for making a life list
- What might be on the life list
- If you have any questions or need help with the list
Yours in health and fitness,
Billy Hofacker