Never Save the Flowers for the Funerals

Dear Reader,

I have an inbox of questions and will return to the normal format next week, but in light of recent circumstances, I wanted to address the area where many of our hearts and prayers have been focused.  We have shed tears for a family in our community that lost a precious son.  We have all watched in horror as people a state away went through a terrifying night to wake and realize that reality can be far worse than nightmares. One thing these types of tragedies do is make us stop and think about our loved ones. It’s easy in the hustle and bustle of life to forget that the amount of time we have to make a difference in the world is limited.

Michael Hyatt is an incredible motivational author and speaker. At a recent blogger conference, he led us through an exercise that left not a dry eye in the room.  He instructed us all to closed our eyes as he described a setting. He painted an elaborate picture of a beautiful room, adorned with incredible arrangements of freshly cut flowers, where everyone we loved and cared for were gathered, and dressed in their finest. All focus and attention was on one single thing, a shiny box at the front of the room.  Have you guessed it?  The setting was a funeral and the person of honor was each of us.  He then asked us questions pertaining to who would be in attendance, and what those people would say about us.

So I pose the same scenario to you, reader.  You may be able to plan the flowers, the music, and the speakers, but you will not be able pick what people will remember about you.  Those memories are earned, and the time to invest in them is now.  Michael Hyatt has a free e-book called “Creating Your Life Plan” at michaelhyatt.com/life-plan .  This interactive book walks you through the above exercise and helps you create a plan of action to make sure that you take time to achieve the things that really matter to you.

We cannot change the inevitable, but we can face it prepared. Knowing that we made the absolute most of our time here.  My dad, Wesley Brown used to always say, “Don’t save the flowers for the funerals.” Let’s try today to find a way to give ‘flowers’ to someone we know. Smile, encourage, buy a lunch, write a card, send a Facebook message, or actually send them a bouquet. Let people know what having them in your life has meant while it can actually make a difference. Then perhaps when it’s your turn and loved ones gather to remember you, it won’t be the blooms and colorful arrangements that bring tears to their eyes.  It will be the beautiful memory of you, and how you embraced each day and each person as a gift, choosing to never save the flowers for the funerals.