How to Live Forever
Photo by foreversouls.
“When you were born, you cried while the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a way that when you die, the world cries while you rejoice.” - Ancient Sanskrit saying
Last week Todd, founder of We The Change, challenged me to write my own eulogy. In his words, “although morbidly sounding, this exercise can be quite powerful and help you generate a crystal clear vision of how you want your life to turn out.” So here it goes….
The Change Blog Founder Dies…..
Today the world said goodbye to a man that dared to live a big life.
After a few years of drifting in his late teens and early twenties, Peter decided he wanted to live forever. Not in the literal sense, but rather by leaving behind a legacy that would last longer than his 100 years on Earth. Having made this decision, Peter turned his back on mediocrity and went on to live a life of greatness and contribution - at home, at work, and in the community.
It was the news, and eventual birth, of his first son Xavier that inspired Peter to change his life. In April 2007, Peter founded the self improvement blog thechangeblog.com as a way to share his message that anyone can live a happy and meaningful life, if they choose to do so.
That same year, Peter relocated from Australia to Vancouver. He initially struggled with the prospect of being on the other side of the world to his family. Instead, he used this as inspiration to unshackle himself from the typical 9 to 5 cubicle existence and join what Tim Ferriss called the “New Rich” - those who can, and do, live anywhere.
This year of change Peter experienced in 2007 proved to be just the beginning of what would be an eventful life. Peter had multiple careers (all of which helped people live better lives and realize their full potential), had numerous adventures (both big and small), and lived in numerous countries.
But perhaps the greatest difference Peter made was to the lives of those close to him. In an era when divorce was the norm, Peter and his sweetheart Kathryn did live happily ever after for 75+ years. He was also the proud father of three children, all of whom have gone on to live notable lives. And since he had the means and time to live anywhere, he stayed incredibly close to his family in Australia.
Peter truly did live a life of greatness - he lived, he loved, he learned. And while his physical form has left us on this day, his legacy will live on forever…..
Tags
I can honestly say that in the week since I started working on this article, my vision for what I want to do with my life has become clearer. So I definitely recommend this exercise of writing a eulogy to others. Here are a few specific bloggers I would like to see write a eulogy:
Cathy from Ripples of Improvement
Lodewijk van den Broek from How To Be An Original
Kathmandau from Into The Mist
Ellesse from Goal Setting College
Scott from Scott Andrew Bird
Finally, make sure you head over the We The Change to read the original post, What Is Your Legacy?
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15 Comments
December 21st, 2007 at 2:51 pm
GREAT GREAT Stuff Peter– very inspiring, and I am glad you took me up on the offer! Man, and you just HAD to out-do me and stay married for 75 years….when I said I would be married for 65 years
Todd
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December 21st, 2007 at 3:08 pm
Haha… you picked up on that Todd! Seriously, though, I enjoyed the challenge.
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December 21st, 2007 at 4:48 pm
Peter,
Thanks for tagging me! In the two hours since I initially read the post, my mind has been buzzing with ideas. I even came up with a grand plan for saving the Chesapeake Bay! True, it’s just a vision, but it’s a great vision and one I’m now actually excited about pursuing.
I’ve got posts scheduled for my blog through Sunday, which gives me time to write my response. Expect my eulogy early next week.
Also, with regards to your eulogy, thanks for reminding me about Tim Ferriss - it helped me to think outside the box of my little area of the world and think much more globally. It also helped me to envision who I want to be to those around me as well.
So, thanks again!
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December 21st, 2007 at 8:18 pm
Hi Peter,
Thanks for tagging me! I’m more than happy to partake in this challenge and write my eulogy (I just learned a new word
). This is a great exercise and one that fits very well at the end of the year. And it’s been a while that I sat down to do this.
The first time wasn’t really writing it, but attending it… I had a training on Covey’s habits and part of it was a guided meditation where you visited your own funeral and overheard what family, friends and colleagues said about you. I can tell you that it made quite an impact…truly life changing.
It’ll be up in the next couple of days. Thanks again.
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December 21st, 2007 at 8:31 pm
Oh and I loved you eulogy by the way…
It’s great to see that you start by looking back from where you are now and than take the quantum leap to your funeral and look back from there. In the second part you confirm that what you are doing right now, is what you want to be doing. And that’s great
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December 24th, 2007 at 4:21 am
Looking forward to more adventures with international living and the Four Hour Workweek. I’m sure you’re loving the flexibility and the intercultural experiences. I hope to be able to do the same someday…
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December 24th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
[...] at I Will Change Your Life tagged me to write a post that included my [...]
December 24th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
FYI - my response is now live at my blog: Saving The Bay And Beyond.
Cathy
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December 24th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
FYI - my response is now live at my blog: Saving The Bay And Beyond.
Cathy
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December 24th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
[...] Peter at I Will Change Your Life wrote a great eulogy titled “How to Live Forever“ [...]
December 26th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
[...] been writing mock eulogies lately to help get a better grasp on what they want out of their lives (Peter / Todd / Aaron). It actually got me thinking, what if they were to actually die tomorrow? Would [...]
January 10th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
This is still on my list. I started writing it, but my mind wanders off all the time. I love how those processes work, and I’ve been thinking about this subject quite a lot. But I have to let it ripen some more before I can post it. Thanks for this.
In due time I will publish it, not sure when exactly though. But you’ll see the trackback appear at that time.
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January 23rd, 2008 at 1:54 pm
[...] Peter C of ‘I Will Change Your Life.com’ provided a challenge: write your own eulogy. The idea is to discover how you want to be remembered, and therefore what you truly value. I plan to live forever - I may not be a Larson-defined optimist, but you may detect some optimism here. [...]
February 16th, 2008 at 1:20 am
Hey Peter!
Writing an eulogy before we die is a good idea for us to get clear about what we want from life and what kind of person we want to be in this life! Our physical body may die,but our name and spirit will not die. I certainly believe leaving a good name on earth is definitely better than leaving great riches. …
Writing an eulogy sounds weird, though. Not many people can face life and death this way. hahaha… Good post!
Cheers!
Amos
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May 15th, 2009 at 2:37 am
Hi there Peter, from southern climes
Well, I’m not gonna write an eulogy because there’s no point… because I’m not intending to die! As for becoming clear on what I want in my life, I rely on my intuition in the present moment for that - I can’t know what I shall want in the future!
Cheers Peter - Robin (was investigating searches that landed on my blog)
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