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Introduction
Welcome back to the weekly newsletter.
This time we go back to very long term thinking – your life mission. As a reminder that sometimes our priorities might get overshadowed by day-to-day hustle. Big goals feel cloudy when values are vague. This week, we cut the fog. You’ll write a short obituary – about you, from the future. It sounds bold. It is. But it works. In ten calm minutes, you’ll see what truly matters, what doesn’t, and what must change now.
Weekly highlight: Craft a short obituary to reveal what truly matters for your life mission.
Today’s tool is simple: write how you want to be remembered. Not to be grim. To be clear. When you picture the end, the noise falls away. Status fades. Core truth stays. That truth becomes your mission. Let’s build it.
Why This Works
Thinking from the end sharpens the present. It strips out ego and hurry. You see what counted over years, not days. You name impact, not activity. That view guides choices fast. It becomes a filter for yes and no.
Set the Scene
Pick a quiet corner. Phone off. One page only. Handwritten if you can. Give yourself ten minutes. No edits while you write. Flow first. Clean later.
The Five Lines (your backbone)
Use these five prompts to frame the draft:
- Who you were: the kind of person.
- What you gave: to people and work.
- How you grew: skills, courage, character.
- What you stood for: values under pressure.
- What remains: the change that lasts.
Write one short paragraph covering those lines. Plain words. No drama. Picture someone you respect reading it at your service. Make it true to you.
Tone and Scope
Keep it human. Warm, not grand. Specific, not vague. “Showed up for family dinners,” beats “valued family.” “Taught five mentees to lead,” beats “helped others.” Aim for three to six sentences. Enough to guide, small enough to remember.
Draft Examples (steal the shape, not the story)
“She was steady and kind. She built teams that felt safe and bold. She kept learning and shared what she learned. When pressure rose, she chose honesty. Because of her work, more women led with confidence. At home, she brought laughter and long walks. Her mark was courage with care.”
“He kept promises. He solved hard problems and gave credit away. He wrote simply so others could act. He forgave fast and fixed fast. The young people he coached now coach others. His life proved that discipline can be gentle and firm.”
Common Traps (and fixes)
- Trap: Resume talk. Long lists of roles.
Fix: Write outcomes and people changed. - Trap: Buzzwords. “Innovative visionary.”
Fix: Use concrete acts. Short verbs. - Trap: Perfection. You wait for the “right” words.
Fix: First draft now. Refine later. - Trap: Others’ voice. Writing what looks good online.
Fix: Write what would make you proud in private.
From Draft to Mission
Underline the strongest lines. Circle the verbs. Those verbs are your mission cues. “Build,” “teach,” “heal,” “simplify,” “protect,” “create.” Turn the best line into a one-sentence mission:
“I build brave, honest teams and leave people stronger than I found them.”
Put it where you see it daily. Let it choose your next yes. Let it kill the wrong yes.
Guardrails and Costs
Name your non-negotiables that protect the mission. “No lying for gain.” “No work that harms health.” “No projects that undercut family.” Also name the cost of drift: If you cross a line, you pay in trust, sleep, and self-respect. If you drift for years, you become someone your obituary would not recognize. Write those costs beside your mission. Make the price visible.
Keep It Alive
Re-read each quarter. Life shifts; the core stays. Tweak words, not values. Share the one-sentence mission with one trusted person. Invite quiet challenge: “Does my week match this?” Small edits now prevent big regret later.
Application
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Find ten quiet minutes today.
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Write your five-line obituary in one short paragraph.
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Pull one mission sentence from it. Post it where you work.
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List three guardrails and the cost of crossing them.
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Make one choice this week that matches the sentence.
Summary
The obituary draft cuts straight to truth. It names who you want to be, not just what you want to do. From that draft, you craft a mission. From that mission, you make clean choices. Less drift. More meaning. Start today.
Till next time,
Maciej
Start Where You Are. Build What Comes Next.
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