What is the meaning of life? Is it a course of challenges and accomplishments? Is it a game of opportunities and choices? Is it a situation of “what ifs” and “what could bes?” Is it a landscape of logic and economics? Or is it an environment of intuition and morality?
Most likely it is a combination of all these things and quite a bit more.
So you might ask, “What is the difference between a resume and a eulogy besides timing?” They both describe who you are but focus on different aspects of your life.
Sometimes we may think we just need to “get the job done”. Other times we would do well to “be there for someone.” Any way you look at it, life is something we all experience in our own unique way.
So as you go through life, which are you currently writing? Your resume or your eulogy?
What lens do you use when you look at life? Do you see life as a resume of things you accomplish? Or do you see life as a eulogy of who you are?
Consider how you live in these various conditions. Ask yourself:
- Do I place more value on what I do or who I am?
- Do I wonder how does this work or why am I here?
- Do I want to conquer the world or make the world a better place?
- Do I believe that input equals output or that giving freely multiplies results?
All answers are acceptable and valuable in their own way. Work, effort, and productivity are critical to providing financially for yourself and your loved ones. While listening, empathizing, and validating are vital to supporting emotionally for yourself, your friends and family. Both positions are appropriate and important.
Your resume depicts what you do;
your eulogy portrays the kind of person you are.
Your life is a summation of all you do and all you are — your accomplishments, your achievements, your loves, whether you make a difference in the world, and how you affect the lives of others.
The question is: How do you live your life?
It’s not an either/or question. You can (and should) live on both sides of what you do and who you are. But here’s the thing: Living life focused on doing provides great self-reward in the form of income, titles, and achievement. Living life focused on being provides great reward for self and others in the form of comfort, compassion, inspiration, motivation, uplift, and support.
When we live life like we are writing our resume, we focus on skills we have gained, jobs we have done, and degrees and certificates we have earned.
When we live life like we are writing our eulogy, we focus on our values, virtues, and victories regarding who we’ve helped, how we’ve helped, and why we’ve made a difference.
The wonderful thing is that when we look at life like we are writing our eulogy, we have the ability to craft and hone both what we do AND who we are.
We get the best of both worlds.
We don’t have to give up working to accomplish more in life. We should always strive to do more in life. And we can always aim to be more in life. It’s just a matter of perspective.
So which one are your writing? Your resume or your eulogy?
Your Mindful Moment:
When we aim to be more of who we are, we tend to do more of what we want.
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