Dying has its advantages.
When you can think about your own death, it can quiet the noise around you, and bring into crystal clarity to what is truly important to you.
That is why a key part of my Precisely Engineered Career Guidance (TM) process is early on having a client write their own Obituary.
At the start of this New Year, given everything you have been through, this can be a wonderfully refreshing process to ensure you are making choices based on your Ultimate Values.
The prolific theologian Paul Tillich discussed his concept of Ultimate Concern to represent the overarching values each person has. Especially in these Existential times, with the pandemic having dragged on for several years, it is critical to stay focused on living by your Ultimate Values, rather than letting yourself drift.
Writing an obituary that represents your Ultimate Values often takes many drafts. The best way to go through this process is to quickly get something simple down, and then accept the idea that you will go through numerous iterations until your obituary represents how you truly want to be remembered.
This process can help reorient you to what truly matters, and help you set your healthiest and most reliable navigation points for 2022.
Unfortunately, one of the top regrets humans have his career choice. Those who work in hospice care have seen it time and time again. A person near – begins to talk frankly about the regrets they have, and unfortunately, career choice is one of the most common regrets.
Ending your life with bitter regret is no doubt a haunting thought. Why not make sure you’re not going to be haunted by doing something that will help you redefine your course going forward.
Terror Management Theory (TMT), a highly studied theory which is based on the assumption that when faced with existential circumstances humans tend to return to their core beliefs and/or worldviews. Writing your obituary draws from a large body of social science literature indicating that by facing your own death you can cull away all of the superfluous things in your life and get Back to Basics.
To have the best 2022, focus on what matters most and make choices from the obituary you can then put on your refrigerator and be reminded of every morning. And if you are not happy with your current work, or you are a young person and unsure about what direction to go in, this is a critical psychological exercise.
Also, consider finding a credible career guidance professional who can ensure you find sustainably fulfilling work, versus stuck in drudgery. Unfortunately, the group of students and workers who are deeply fulfilled in their is small compared to the size of the general population. There are many reasons for this, chief among them being the vast majority of people do not put themselves through an in-depth career guidance process that is psychologically as deep as the human personality. I will be discussing this and other reasons why career guidance has traditionally been shallow, in my upcoming book.
Before the icy fingers of death wrap themselves around your body, decide what matters most to your Spirit! Don’t join the mass of elderly people who at the end of their life are haunted by regrets.