First, let me say that I have no intention of dying anytime soon, and it isn't thoughts of mortality that have me thinking about this.
I've started reading Leo Babauta's zen habits recently. A couple of weeks ago, I read his post on The Key to Dying Happy. I was reading his list of what he wants people to say about him when he dies, and it sparked a quick list of my own:
Happy
As I've said before, I'm doing pretty well with this one. It's not perfect, of course. There are days when I'm filled with joy and days when I'm cranky. For the most part, however, I'm happy.
Peaceful, and At Peace
This might seem redundant at first, but it's two different sides of the word: "at peace" is the internal state, and "peaceful" is how it manifests in the world. Some days this is easier than others, and at peace is much easier than peaceful. I found that sometime last month, meditation suddenly became a lot easier for me, which helps.
Kind
This one surprised me. Like I said, I didn't concentrate on thinking about any of these; they just popped into my head. This is also the absolute hardest one for me. I don't think of myself as kind at all, and I find it especially difficult to be kind with my mother and my officemate. Any suggestions for kindness thoughts/practice/improvement would be greatly appreciated.
Positive Difference in the World
About two years ago, my work went through an emotional intelligence (EQ) training of trainers. One of the pieces of the Six Seconds EQ model is "pursue noble goals." A noble goal has five parts: not complete in your lifetime, pointed outward, integrating, gets you out of bed, and collaborative.
The exercise of creating a noble goal is the one piece of our EQ training that has (consciously; who knows what's going on in my subconscious and unconscious minds) made the most difference in my life. My noble goal is tikkun olam with intent and joy. Tikkun olam is usually interpreted as healing or repairing the world, and often manifests itself in Jewish communities as social action. My favorite interpretation of tikkun olam is that the work of creation is not complete until we have completed our part in it. I like that this makes us partners with God.
I tell you all of this because this last thing I want you to be able to say about me when I die ties well into my noble goal, which also means I wasn't too surprised about wanting to make a positive difference.
I've started reading Leo Babauta's zen habits recently. A couple of weeks ago, I read his post on The Key to Dying Happy. I was reading his list of what he wants people to say about him when he dies, and it sparked a quick list of my own:
- She was happy.
- She was peaceful, and at peace.
- She was kind.
- She made a positive difference in the world.
Happy
As I've said before, I'm doing pretty well with this one. It's not perfect, of course. There are days when I'm filled with joy and days when I'm cranky. For the most part, however, I'm happy.
Peaceful, and At Peace
This might seem redundant at first, but it's two different sides of the word: "at peace" is the internal state, and "peaceful" is how it manifests in the world. Some days this is easier than others, and at peace is much easier than peaceful. I found that sometime last month, meditation suddenly became a lot easier for me, which helps.
Kind
This one surprised me. Like I said, I didn't concentrate on thinking about any of these; they just popped into my head. This is also the absolute hardest one for me. I don't think of myself as kind at all, and I find it especially difficult to be kind with my mother and my officemate. Any suggestions for kindness thoughts/practice/improvement would be greatly appreciated.
Positive Difference in the World
About two years ago, my work went through an emotional intelligence (EQ) training of trainers. One of the pieces of the Six Seconds EQ model is "pursue noble goals." A noble goal has five parts: not complete in your lifetime, pointed outward, integrating, gets you out of bed, and collaborative.
The exercise of creating a noble goal is the one piece of our EQ training that has (consciously; who knows what's going on in my subconscious and unconscious minds) made the most difference in my life. My noble goal is tikkun olam with intent and joy. Tikkun olam is usually interpreted as healing or repairing the world, and often manifests itself in Jewish communities as social action. My favorite interpretation of tikkun olam is that the work of creation is not complete until we have completed our part in it. I like that this makes us partners with God.
I tell you all of this because this last thing I want you to be able to say about me when I die ties well into my noble goal, which also means I wasn't too surprised about wanting to make a positive difference.