What Would Your Obit Say?

I heard Shoshana Berger speak yesterday about her book, "A Beginner's Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death." The last of her six tips for facing mortality is: Act Like Alfred.

Did you know that Alfred Nobel, the man behind the Nobel Prize, invented dynamite? When his twin brother died, a newspaper accidentally published Alfred's obituary instead, describing him as the "Merchant of Death."

Imagine reading your own obituary while you're still alive. Talk about a wake-up call.

That mistaken obituary became Nobel's catalyst for change. Seeing how he'd be remembered horrified him, and he redirected his legacy toward peace and scientific advancement. The rest, as they say, is history.

Author Annie Dillard said, "How we spend our days, of course, is how we spend our lives." Simple and true.

Berger challenges us to draft our own obituaries—not as a morbid exercise, but as a clarity tool. What would yours say about:

• How you made people feel through your actions?

• How you expressed your feelings to others?

• The imprint you left on your world?

Am I making a positive imprint? It doesn't have to be global—it can be right here in my own circle, with the ripple effects spreading outward through the people I encounter.

Don't wait for a wake-up call

Nobel had the rare opportunity to see how he'd be remembered and change course while there was still time. Most of us won't get that chance.

The power of his story isn't just that he changed—it's that he was jolted into awareness about the gap between how he was living and how he wanted to be remembered.

Try this simple exercise

Let’s each take 15 minutes this week to write our obituary. It’s not going to be published so be honest! Then ask yourself:

Is this the story I want to tell?

or

Am I living up to this story?

If the answer is no to either question, what small changes could I make right now?

The power of this exercise isn't in facing death—it's in recognizing that we still have time to live differently.

What wake-up call are you waiting for?