Why You Should Write Your Own Eulogy - And How

A eulogy is generally defined as a speech that praises a person and highlights their accomplishments. At a funeral, a eulogy provides a loving testament of one’s life. It addresses a loved one’s character, accomplishments, and the legacy they leave behind.

Writing your own eulogy allows you to think through your own life and the legacy you’ll leave behind. We’re all on this planet for a finite amount of time. That alone is motivation to accomplish our goals and, more importantly, touch as many people’s lives that we can in a positive way. When you take the time to write something out, such as your eulogy, you give yourself the power to

How to outline your eulogy:

1. Write down your accomplishments – what you’ve done for yourself so far, such as education, employment, and titles held, sports accomplishments and what you are passionate about.

2. Write down what you’ve done for others. Helping favorite charities, what cause or causes you get behind, projects that you are or were involved in that made a difference.

3. Acknowledge the people who have impacted you in a positive way.

This is where the fun starts: this is where you fill in the gap between where you are now and where you know you CAN and WILL be.

4. Write down what you achieved between now and the time of your funeral – work promotions, advanced degrees, starting your own business and/or growing your business

5. Write down what you’ve done for others between now and the time of your funeral – Are you going to start a soup kitchen? Are you going to be so involved with your alma mater that the school ends up renaming one of the campus buildings after you?

6. Acknowledge your friends and family. Tell them what you want them to remember about you and how they can carry on your legacy by caring about all of the wonderful things that you cared about, thus continuing to fulfil your vision.

And possibly the greatest thing about writing your own eulogy. Who better than you to get the last word about you?