↩ Looking Back
There's a classic Stephen Covey example that I think about often in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:
In your mind's eye, see yourself going to the funeral of a loved one. Picture yourself driving to the funeral parlor or chapel, parking the car, and getting out. As you walk inside the building, you notice the flowers, the soft organ music. You see the faces of friends and family you pass along the way. You feel the shared sorrow of losing, the joy of having known, that radiates from the hearts of the people there.
As you walk down to the front of the room and look inside the casket, you suddenly come face to face with yourself. This is your funeral, three years from today. All these people have come to honor you, to express feelings of love and appreciation for your life.
Now think deeply. What would you like each of these speakers to say about you and your life? What kind of husband, wife, father, or mother would you like their words to reflect? What kind of son or daughter or cousin? What kind of friend?
Surprise—it's your funeral! This mental exercise has stuck with me for nearly 20 years now, and I can't revisit it enough.
The idea is to work backwards from where you want to be—or as Covey calls it, "Begin with the End in Mind." If you want people to say certain things about you at your funeral, you have to start by becoming that type of person today.
- People want to be wealthy, but they don't want to save money now.
- People want to write a book, but they don't want to write a blog post.
- People want to get fit, but they don't want to choose healthier foods and regularly exercise.
The far-off goals start with tiny decisions today that move you in the direction you want to end up.
↑ Looking Up
One of my favorite miracles in the Old Testament is barely a passing comment from God to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 29:5:
I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet.
Forty-year-old handmade clothes and sandals didn't ever wear out. Even the most premium, heavy-duty heritage workwear has got nothing on God's ability to sustain things over the long haul.
The Israelites were in the wilderness due to their disobedience. And yet, even in the midst of their punishment, God sustained them in a miraculous way.
They put countless steps under scorching heat on those sandals, and the soles were as good as new.
God is a sustaining God who walks with us through every trial and keeps our soles (and souls) from wearing out.
Today is a good day to stop and thank God for sustaining you—even if you're walking in the wilderness.
↪ Looking Forward
What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?
—GEORGE ELIOT
What would our world look like if everyone lived with this mentality?
- More giving, less taking.
- More joy, less disappointment.
- More sacrifice, less grumbling.
- More purpose, less aimlessness.
What's one thing you can do today to make life less difficult for someone around you?
Looking For a Laugh
Or, in light of today's newsletter, it takes >40 years for the sandals and clothes of God's people to break down.
Wrapping Up
Hit reply—tell me what could make this newsletter even more valuable to you.
Here’s to pursuing the useful life together—focused on the future but taking action today,
