Laura's Peak of the Week: The time I wrote my own eulogy

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What if everything you believed about your worth and identity was built on a misconception? In this deeply personal episode, I share a revealing excerpt from my upcoming book "Shine Brighter" that challenges how we measure success and value in our lives.

The chapter "Unlocking Truth" takes you on a journey to rediscover who you truly are beneath the labels, achievements, and societal expectations. I reveal how a seemingly morbid exercise—writing my own eulogy—became a profound turning point in my life. This exercise forced me to confront what would actually matter when I leave this earth: not being the top biller at my company, but how I loved, encouraged, and showed up authentically for others.

You'll hear the eulogy I wrote over a decade ago, words that felt aspirational then but have become my guiding light. It describes a woman known for seeing people at their soul level, finding joy in ordinary moments, modeling integration between purpose and family, and inspiring millions to wake up to their own authentic brilliance. The most striking revelation? Writing this eulogy helped me understand that we don't need to become someone new—we need to remember who we've always been at our core.

This episode isn't just philosophical contemplation—it's a call to action. Take a moment today to pause with gratitude, begin writing your own story with the end in mind, and actively grow into the person you most want to become. Because as I've discovered, knowing these truths isn't enough—we must embody them. Are you ready to unlock the truth of who you really are and shine brighter?

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hi, it's Laura.
Welcome to your peak of theweek.
We are doing something a littledifferent today and I am going
to read you an excerpt from myupcoming first book, shine
Brighter.
This is a chapter calledUnlocking Truth.

(00:23):
Imagine if everything youbelieved about yourself, your
worth, your identity, yourpotential, was built on a
misconception.
What if the foundation of howyou measure your value was
flawed?
This isn't just a thoughtexperiment.
It's a reality for most of us.
From the moment we enter theworld, we are conditioned to

(00:44):
equate our worth with what we do, our achievements, our careers,
our productivity.
Society has drilled us thatsuccess is external the job, the
bank account, the social mediafollowing.
But what if this is entirelymisguided?

(01:05):
Let me ask you what if you aremore than the things that you do
?
Take a moment.
What are three things thatdefine who you are?
Go ahead, I'll wait.
Now.
How many of those things aretied to what you do, your job,
your roles, yourresponsibilities?

(01:25):
If most or all of them are,you're not alone.
This is the very illusion we'rehere to break, because
unlocking truth is aboutuncovering what's beneath the
labels, the achievements and thenoise.
It's about reclaiming youridentity, not as the sum of your
accomplishments, but as theinfinite, worthy, powerful being

(01:47):
that you were created to be.
Sit with that.
This question challenges ourdeeply ingrained beliefs and
ignites a spark of possibilitywithin us.
It strikes at the heart ofwhat's truly blocking our inner
light from shining my awakening,the funeral exercise.

(02:08):
I vividly remember the momentthis truth hit me like a
lightning bolt.
It was 2015, and I was sittingin a conference room when a
speaker posed a startlingquestion who here has envisioned
their funeral?
Well, that certainly got myattention.
Over the next 90 minutes, Ilost track of time as I listened
and began to write my owneulogy.

(02:30):
Morbid, you might think,perhaps, but it forced me to
confront a crucial questionwhat's going to matter when I
leave this earth?
Will being the number onebiller in my company matter at
all?
Or will it be about how Itreated people, loved people,

(02:50):
encouraged them and stayed trueto who I am?
As I wrote feverishly, thetruth I had been avoiding, the
whisper I'd been too afraid toacknowledge, became crystal
clear.
I am not what I do.
I am so much more.
And here's a glimpse of what Iwrote over a decade ago.

(03:10):
This is my eulogy wrote over adecade ago.
This is my eulogy.
Laura King was known for herzest for life, her love for all
humans and her radiating energyto everyone she met.
If you knew Laura, then youknew she was all about seeing
you as you truly are at the soullevel.
She made you feel seen, heardand loved.

(03:35):
When you were in her presenceyou felt unconditional love.
Laura is survived by herhusband of 65 years, brian, and
their four adult children, miles, william, brody, michael,
charlie Joseph and Crosby Jamesand their 12 grandchildren.
Laura was a beacon of light forher family.

(03:56):
She loved sharing her true,authentic self on massive stages
all over the world.
While she loved impactingmassive amounts of lives through
energy and connection andexperiences all over the world,
what she loved most were themost intimate, deep
conversations with her familyand friends.
Being with her children andgrandchildren was the light that
kept Laura going in her lateryears.

(04:17):
Witnessing a smile or a glancefrom a loved one could change
the entire trajectory of the day.
Those were the moments Lauralived for.
She always found a way to bringthe joy to everyday moments
From mundane tasks like doingthe dishes to dancing in public,
often embarrassing her boys, tofamily vacations.

(04:38):
She made sure she enjoyed lifewith a curiosity and the
playlike nature of a child.
Early in her career, laura setthe example of the integration
that could exist forpurpose-driven leaders to model
congruence in work, health,family, spirituality, fitness

(04:58):
and relationships.
Laura learned and modeledaligning her personal and
professional world in her 30sand felt compelled to pay it
forward and teach thosestrategies to others in her 40s
and beyond.
Laura followed an untraditionalpath in her career.
She started and helped growmany businesses, gave thousands

(05:25):
of people jobs and traveled theworld spreading messages of hope
, faith and perseverance.
Laura inspired millions to wakeup to the reality that you
create your own reality andshine the brightest when you
stop living someone else'sversion of you and step into
your own weird, quirky,authentic self.
We are all here to support andlove one another and we are all

(05:49):
here to heal.
Laura defines success asfinding the truest, highest
expression of yourself as ahuman being and then being that
in the service of others.
She also loved teaching fitnessclasses well into her 80s.
Above all, laura was committedto helping more people wake up

(06:12):
to their lives and shinebrighter, living a life on
purpose, living intentionally.
That life is really not aboutyou at all.
It's about the collective Lovefor all.
When you really get that, youwin.
Okay, folks, that was take thatin.

(06:36):
I am still blown away.
I'm like I cannot believe thosewords came out of me and every
time I read it I'm like, yes,that is the person I'm growing
into becoming and I get to bethe witness of my own becoming
these things.

(06:56):
This person felt so out ofreach.
Yet there was still, as I waswriting this, there was this
truth that was coming through mypen, like God has called me to
be this person and I'vecontinued to step into it and

(07:18):
step into it, and step into it,and I'd like to believe,
actually, now that I'm thinkingabout this, I do believe that
the core of us, the core of usthat is so innocent and pure and
sweet and good, we are madethat way.
We are made that way, and thisis about a remembrance.

(07:40):
So when I wrote this, I didn'tquite believe it.
And yet there's something sopowerful by taking the pen and
writing and letting the wordsjust jump out of it, like almost
open yourself up.
Just jump out of it, almostopen yourself up.

(08:04):
It might not even be your ownwords that are coming through
you.
This might be a channelingsession.
What words do you want me toknow?
What do you want me to knowabout who I am at my essence, my
essence, my essence, I amgrowing into this person.
You are growing into this person.

(08:25):
You have peak you in yourmind's eye and I am in your ears
today, so grateful to be inyour ears today to remind you of
your greatness, to remind youthat you are here to remember
the truth of who you are.

(08:46):
You're here to remember thetruth of who you are.
Remember, take out all thethings the world has told you
and remember you are so powerful.

(09:07):
You are all love.
Do something today.
Do something with this.
Do something today.
Do something with this, whetherthat is continuing your walk

(09:39):
outside or whatever you aredoing, and just take a moment to
pause, to look up at the skyand say thank you, thank you,
thank you.
It's great reverence, greatreverence for this life.
Take the pen, begin writingyour story and begin with the
end in mind.
As Stephen Covey taught us,begin with the end in mind.
What does the end look like?

(10:02):
And back out from there With somuch love.
It's not enough to just say,yeah, I know this, I know this,
you've got to act like it.
You've got to act like it.
Grow into the person that youmost want to become.