What could be more different than a wedding and a funeral? A wedding celebrates an exciting beginning while a funeral marks a conclusive end. A wedding gazes into a couple’s future while a funeral sums up a person’s past. A wedding brims with tears of happiness while a funeral is filled with tears of sadness. Yet, even though they’re different on the surface, they both underscore the significance of commitment — a wedding reveals promises made while a funeral recounts promises kept.

Greatness isn’t determined by the number of promises that you make, but by the ones that you keep.

A wedding is more than a party. It’s an opportunity to make a solemn promise; a pledge to abide by for the rest of your life. While marriage vows express all the right sentiments, some participants view their pledges as loving words rather than sacred promises. In fact, more time is often spent planning a wedding than contemplating the commitment of marriage — and how two people will re-channel their thinking from “me” and “mine” to “we” and “ours.”

When you compose your vows, do you search the Internet for clever things to say or do you thoughtfully ponder your commitment — and pledge to abide by those words for the rest of your life?

When you recite “…for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death us do part,” do you appreciate the gravity of that commitment? Or are you just reciting words because that’s what people do?

In view of this, how often do you make promises, knowing full well that it’s lip service? How often do you make a promise to yourself, only to abandon it the next day? (Think New Year’s resolution.)

Promises are not throwaway lines. If it’s important enough to make a promise, it should be important enough to keep it. A promise should be as binding as a contract. Get married to that idea.

What Makes a Life Worth Living?

A funeral is a solemn occasion. Some people view the service as a time to mourn someone’s life while others celebrate a life well lived.

How do you want to be remembered?

When all is said and done, your life will be measured by the promises that you made — and whether you followed through on your commitments. Choose wisely. Act boldly. And forge ahead with a can-do spirit. Here are 10 guidelines to consider:

• Get in the game rather than watching from the sidelines.
• Earn trust and respect rather than demanding it.
• Lead by example rather than just talking a good game.
• Be the first to give rather than the first to take.
• Do your best rather than doing just enough to get by.
• Better yourself rather than trying to change others.
• Think “we” rather than “me.”
• Place more value on relationships than on things.
• View success as a journey rather than a destination.
• Make a difference in others’ lives rather than enriching your own.

One of the things that we don’t like to discuss is that we’re all getting older. In fact, many of us believe that if we ignore this reality, it might go away. Your life will be measured not by the promises that you made, but by the promises that you kept. What are you doing today to make good on your promises? Life is like playing musical chairs — you never know when the music will stop. So live every day as your last. One day it will be. As Pablo Picasso said, “Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” Do you promise the world or do you make good on your promises?

What Do You Think a Wedding and a Funeral Have in Common?

Please leave a comment and tell us what you think or share it with someone who can benefit from the information.

Additional Reading:
Living Life With a Purpose
The Secrets of a Successful Marriage
How Do You Want To Be Remembered?
Do You Take Your Commitments Seriously?
A Promise Is a Promise
Live By Example and Inspire Others to Do the Same

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