Ask not for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee. A quote from the poet John Donne. I was inspired while reading The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer. He mentions how we ask westerners specifically, but as human beings, how we deal with death and dying. I wanted to share some of the concepts with you.

Most people get reflective as they approach the end of their time here on earth. As people come closer they start to make amends, they start to find ways to shift and make apologies for what they may have done in their life. For what they may have done to other people and to write the final phrases of their contract for their life before they sign out.

I get that this is a difficult subject for many to talk about, but it’s one that we really must talk about. What happens in this time is that we get very truthful, we get very honest because we’re really coming to terms with our mortality. We’re coming to terms with our time here on earth. We start to think about what our legacy was while we were here. We start to think about what we’re leaving behind, how our children are, how we’re going to be missed and how we’re going to miss other people once this main event has happened in our life.

What I want to share with you is why wait until the end? Why wait until you hit that real termination point, where you hit that finality in your world and in your life? Because you can do all of those things now. Why not make those apologies now? Why not mend those fences? Why not have those conversations with your children and with those that are close to you, your spouse, your cousins, your workers, your co-workers and people in your life that may have wronged you or you may have wronged?

It’s time to start settling those things now. What I want to offer to you a set of questions that you can ask yourself to help you in this process. I would encourage you to ask yourself these simple questions. If I only had one week left to live, what would I do? What would I say? Who would I talk to? What apologies would I make? What would I change? What are the things that I would do, that I would want to have changed in my life?

Once you’ve answered those questions, do those things now. Do them while you can, while you can affect where things are going in your life. Once you know you’ve got a week left to live you’re not going to get another week. You’re not going to get more time no matter how much you plead, no matter how much medical science can do for you. Okay, maybe you’re going to get a couple weeks. Maybe you’re going to get a couple months, but take advantage of what you know about this stuff now and go out there and make a change for yourself, make a change in the world.

Start thinking of your legacy now. Then go out and create what you want your future to be. So you have something when that last week comes upon you, and you can look back with fond memories of a life well lived. On a legacy that is enduring. Something that you will be proud of. Then you will be able to leave this world in peace.