“We are gathered here today to honor and remember [fill in your name].  He/she was born on [fill in the date] and was laid to rest on [fill in the date]…..” 

For every one of us, the day of reckoning will come when this information will be communicated to our family, friends, and associates.  It may be verbalized via a microphone, placed in writing in a program, or even on video, but for every one of us the day will come when we take our last breath. 

This sounds like the beginning of a sad blog post doesn’t it?  Not really.  What determines the degree of sadness, or not, is the dash – the dash between the day you were born and the day you take your last breath.  This dash represents your life and how you choose to live it.  It says, “This is how I used the time on this planet that was given to me!” 

If you look back on your dash to date, what does it say about you?  Does it say, “Here is [fill in your name].  He is surrounded by the people he loves and is doing the work he loves.”  Or does it say, “Here is [fill in your name].  She doesn’t really have a life to speak of, because all she does is work.  Oh, and by the way, she’s not even doing work she enjoys!” 

As you get older, you realize that you can’t control other people, which means you can’t make people play the roles in your life you may want them to.  But, you can control the work you do.  It may cost you extra time, effort, money, and even sleep to get there, but it’s always possible. 

If you are looking back on your dash right now and not happy with what it says, change the things you can change and turn your dash into a smile. 

Until next time….