Are You Living Your Resume or Your Eulogy?

I got a haircut the other day...big news right?

Well, this time my daughter cut my hair for the first time, which may have been a bit of a risk on my part, but it was well worth it in the end. And not because it saved me $30, which it did.

When I got home that night I did the math. If I live to 80, which for males in my family might be pushing it, I will have approximately 120 haircuts in the future. And if each haircut takes 15 minutes, that's 30 hours of undivided attention with my daughter. How awesome is that?

This got me thinking about the fact that in this life I am running out of time. I only have so much time to enjoy or experience certain things.

Like if I live to 80 I will decorate the Christmas tree 20 more times. I will see 20 more winters (I won't miss them much though), Springs, Summers and Falls. I will see the Stanley Cup raised 20 more times.

We're visiting friends in Alberta this summer and we will go on many hikes...but how many more hikes do I have in me? 50? 20? 1?

You get the idea.

This is how my mind works...weird right?

But the brevity of life, becomes more and more real to me all the time. Which in turn motivates me to think all the more on how I live these years out.

So I ask myself (and you) am I living my resume or my eulogy? Are you?

Now, I'm at a stage in my life where my resume is basically irrelevant. But there was a time when it really mattered; and it should. It should for you perhaps. But I suppose the older we get the less important a resume becomes.

But hear me when I say this to you and me...we will not be remembered for our resumes but for our eulogy. You could call this your legacy too.

What's the difference you ask?

A resume reflects your professional achievements, skills, and maybe some awards, while a legacy represents the impact, character, and relationships you leave behind.

A resume is about titles and past accomplishments, while a legacy is about impacting the future; maybe future generations even. I sure hope this is the case for me.

I've officiated enough funerals to know people never talk about your resume then; but they will talk about how you impacted them, the ones you left behind.

People will remember how you made them feel, not the titles you held. They won't care about your corner office, or how many followers you had or how big expensive your car is.

I'm not suggesting your resume doesn't matter; just don't sacrifice your legacy for your resume. I see too many doing that.

I have already written a eulogy I hope could be read at my funeral, and I encourage you to consider yours as well.

It's not as morbid as you think. But imagine what you would like to be said about you at the end of your life. What character traits do you value? What values will you hold? What difference will you make in the lives of those closest to you?

Then reverse engineer those things by determining how you will live them out today, and all the days you have left.

As long as I live and as long as I have hair, I will get to spend time with my daughter, and with my resume in the rearview mirror, live out my eulogy.

What about you?

My prayer for you and me...

"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

Until next time - Dan