A 33-year-old funeral director and Warren Buffett share a strategy for living a meaningful life.
Victor Sweeney, a funeral director, rewrites his own obituary every year as a way to reflect on his priorities.
"The 33-year-old tells CNBC Make It that their obituary is getting shorter each year, not because they are doing less, but because there are fewer things that truly matter."
Sweeney, a funeral director and mortician living in Warren, Minnesota, earns $87,000 annually and has four children with his wife. Despite his professional accomplishments, his obituary does not include salary details or extensive achievements.
Sweeney has gradually removed much of his work history, awards, and a commencement speech he once gave since 2015. Now, he says, his online presence is limited to the fact that he lived, loved, and had children.
Sweeney keeps his obituary and funeral plans for clients in an office cabinet, with detailed instructions for his own funeral nearby. For him, funeral planning is both practical and a chance to tell his story.
He says that when writing one's own obituary, it becomes clear that family and service to others are more important than wealth or a list of accomplishments.
Why Warren Buffett also recommends writing your own obituary
Sweeney follows the advice of Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, to avoid major mistakes in life by writing his obituary and striving to live up to it.
Your self-written obituary should serve as a guide to what truly matters to you, which may not always be wealth.
Buffett advised the audience to prioritize being kind, stating, "I've never known anyone who was fundamentally kind and died without friends."
""Having friends can greatly enhance one's quality of life," he stated."
Reflecting on his life and reaffirming his sense of fulfillment with the choices he's made, Sweeney finds writing about his death to be a helpful exercise.
"He declares that he is ecstatic, as his wife adores him, his children eagerly anticipate his arrival each day, and he cherishes his boss. He believes he has never felt the need to pursue a different path, and that's all a man could desire."
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