What Message would you Leave before you Die?
Glen / 
31 Comments / 
August 13th, 2008 / 
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As always in this blog, I speak about death only of your physical form. Although I’m not as experienced or educated on spirituality as I would like to be, I still believe there is something to it so won’t count out any possibilities or viewpoints just yet.
Before we do leave the physical world though, I think all of us could provide valuable messages to those around us and offer some beneficial advice on how to go about your life. Whilst I believe that everybody can stumble on their own right path in life, there’s no harm in wisdom from those wiser than ourselves.
Thoughts from 9 Personal Development Bloggers
To kick-start this blog entry, I wanted to share the message of some of the smartest people on the topic of growth, personal development and lifestyle design. My simple question to them was:
“ If you could only leave one message before you die, what would it be? “
“Pursue your passion and above all be kind to others.”
“Share your best nuggets of wisdom as you learn them, so you don’t have to stress about coming up with a great one-liner on your deathbed. Then you can die in peace.”
“We shouldn’t run away from our sorrows. Just turn around and face them square on, and then you’ll master them.”
- Albert (Urban Monk)
“Work hard and be nice to people”
“Life is yours to dream up, design, create, and to do with as you please. Your only limits are internal- those that you put on yourself. Fulfillment, for me at least, is doing for others. So let this be my little bit of insight: you are who you say you are, that is, you are a possibility. Now- create!”
“It would undoubtedly be that Love is the most important force in life. Love the people close to you with all your heart. Open yourself to loving all of humanity, strangers and friends alike. Love what you do with a passion, and don’t be tied to work you dislike. Love life, and this precious gift we’ve been given. And love yourself, completely.”
“Be yourself - down to the core. I say this because I have always, even recently, put others’ emotions, feelings and desires ahead of my own and in ways that are perhaps not natural and not inline with ME. As a teenager, I wanted to be ‘cool’ and while I could have been ‘cool’ on my own merits (smart, funny, good looking guy), I chose to act in ways that ultimately hurt my self-esteem and subsequently my life. To this day, and even though I advise against it on DLM, I still see myself making choices based on what society wants.
No one is asking what you want or who you want to be; no one cares. Your core is you and your actions are simply ingredients that either contradict or support YOU. If both sides exist in harmony, you are on the right path. If they don’t, be prepared for regrets, sadness, and misery. Trust your core and you will be at peace with everything you do.”
“Never settle! Nothing is more important than happiness.”
- Marc (Marc & Angel)
“Anything is possible if you want it bad enough. When desire is mixed with faith backed by massive action, the probable becomes possible, every time. No exceptions.”
- Tina Su
Is one message enough?
Although I’m happy everyone (except Steve) gave me a true answer for this question, Steve had me wondering “is leaving behind one message really enough?”. I remember seeing a family friend in hospital, the week before his death. He was fragile, thin and was clearly near the end of his life. Yet, when I walked up to him and said hello in hospital, he gave me the strongest hand shake, one I never expected. One that I will never forget and whilst there were no words, said so much to me.
Live each day of your life and help others in the process: smile, be authentic, be helpful, be honest. Follow your dreams so that you unconsciously inspire others to follow theres. If I had to leave one message at this moment in time it would be this:
Be honest with yourself in everything you do. If you want to do something deep down but fear it, don’t let the fear put you off. Embrace life and any difficulties that come with it, because this is the only opportunity we have.
For every person that tells you that you can’t do something, realise it’s just another person to prove wrong.
- Glen Allsopp
What would YOUR message be?
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This is a very thought provoking post, Glen, and goes right to the core of who we are and how we interact with others.
All of the quotes from the Personal Development bloggers display this balance of being both focused on the self and also on other people.
I guess that this is the very essence of being human- we are all unique individuals connected to others.
My message would be:
“Live your life to the fullest potential possible. Make the most of every opportunity, and let no one and nothing stop you from achieving your heart’s desire.
As you go forward in life, seek to build positive relationships and, through your example, encourage others to do the same.
Together, we can do amazing things.”
Thanks for another awesome comment Scott, they are really appreciated.
That is also a great message, live to your potential
Live as if you are going to die tomorrow. Plan as if you are going to live forever. Hurt no one, trust a few, listen to all, but create your own judgement.
Thanks for your thoughts Rishil
Live as if you are going to die tomorrow.
There are some implications to this, as I certainly wouldn’t be working in my job if it was my last day alive but I get your point
“I told you I was sick”
To me this live life to the fullest is a load of bull, its like a new years resolution, might last for a couple of weeks, but won’t last for a lifetime.
When I kick the bucket, I want to raise a smile. When I’m being turned to toast, I want people to look back at the good times. Not that there’s 300lbs of flesh being roasted at 20 minutes per pound and they will never speak to me again.
Its the last chance you’ll ever get to tell anyone anything. Its a bit late for the “follow your dreams” stuff. Go out on a happy note. Save the environment, save the Kleenex.
All in my opinion of course.
To me this live life to the fullest is a load of bull, its like a new years resolution, might last for a couple of weeks, but won’t last for a lifetime.
Why? Have you had bad experiences. It may not last a lifetime, but you can definitely push yourself to love life and live it to the full as often as possible.
Its the last chance you’ll ever get to tell anyone anything. Its a bit late for the “follow your dreams” stuff. Go out on a happy note. Save the environment, save the Kleenex.
Once again…why? If it’s the last thing you can tell someone, it might inspire them to do things they never thought possible (following their dreams).
Thanks for the comment though Adam
I dunno, its the way our family is I guess. We just look at it as being the end of the road. Were not really big on this inspirational / motivational stuff.
My grandad sums it up really “when i croak, chuck me in the fire and go get pissed. dont mourn, celebrate”.
he often says stuff to me, so does my entire family that gives me inspiration about the things I do so I just don’t see the need “the last moments” be spent on stuff like that.
I have a pretty pessimistic view on everything though. Glass half empty not half full etc etc
Well, mine would be, mm eh, alright: “Please take care of my blogs, renew the domains, and don’t forget my Macbook and iPhone”
haha, it’s quite sad but I used to have similar feelings. I gave a family member login details to my site so they could do an update post if I ever passed away
I’m honored to be mentioned among such awesome people that I admire. Thank you for sharing.
Stumbled/Twittered.
Thanks a lot Alex, keep up the awesome work on the blog
First of all I must say, I’m amazed at the great work you are putting in this blog, Glen! This is the third post in a row that I have starred in my Google Reader (I star posts so that when I do link roundups every now and then, I know which posts to link to ;)) Awesome!
Then to the actual question.
I’m thrilled to see so many of my favorite people giving their advice - and it’s clear to me that these people have gotten something right: be good to yourself, and be good to others.
I don’t have much to add, but my one liner would be something like “Do what you believe in. Spend time with your family. Be nice to people.” I couldn’t help but copy the last sentence from the experts you are quoting in this post, because it’s so true.
Good work, Glen!
Thanks Jarkko, that really means a lot to me (I’m loving your blog as well).
Although I phrased my answer in a different style, I wasn’t trying to be facetious. To often we fail to share our wisdom with others until it’s too late. Better to share the best of yourself while you can instead of putting it off with excuses like “when I have more time,” “when I have more money,” “when I’m older,” etc.
Express yourself this hour, not tomorrow or someday. Someday is the day after you die.
I’m sure this was taken from some comic routine somewhere, but:
“There’s a fine line between being committed, and needing to be committed.”
The moral of the story is make sure to lead a balanced life. All work and no play makes life a a bit dull and certainly less fun.
- Eric
I truly believe in doing everything possible to live life to the fullest. I think there are very practical things one can do to accomplish this.
It starts by accepting personal responsibility for your circumstances. Once you have done this, then it is possible to start taking positive action toward a more rewarding life. As my blog reflects, I believe there are six areas where one should concentrate. We should focus on excellence, finances, being committed to a cause, leadership by example, continual learning and adventure.
This is the way I live my life and it seems to be working!
Damn the man; always play with their mind.
Interesting concept. I haven’t thought about dying all morning yet
If I fit into the smartest personal development list, I would have answered:
‘Know thyself … and thou shalt know the gods.’…from a famous Egyptian temple.
I think all the secrets and wisdom in the world are locked in us like a life long puzzle. The first step is to become aware of this. And I guess that is the one pearl I would leave before facing death.
live as though the big mushroom cloud is on the horizon … ’cause, only the things you truly enjoy matter …. the rest is best left alone.
You can live on forever by inspiring the best of all things in others. Act as if you were the first domino that falls, and that what you do today affects more people than you could know.
My final message would be
“What took so long?”
Spread laughter whenever possible, and kill sadness as though it were a virus.
I would leave this message/ Be yourself without apology or explanation to anyone. Mind your own business and leave others the hell alone.——Doug Rosbury
I really like that one Doug, thanks for sharing
My final message would be
“Don’t stop believing”
This one has me thinking…
What message would I leave?
Live the life you desire! Enjoy the journey along the way. Your life is not a means to an end. There is much beauty and wonder along the journey we travel - if you just slow down and really live the experience. And love with all your heart. Love is the bond that build relationships that last. Love is what makes life worth living.
Trite garbage
Really cool blog entry. Very creative. I enjoyed it.
I rather have a bottle in front of me than that damn frontal lobotomy!
IOW Live hard Laugh Lots