Inspiring at Funerals

Funerals are a place where people gather to remember a person’s awesome life on Earth.

It also means you will not see this person anymore (at least in this life.)

So, funerals generally suck, yet, they are part of life.

I spoke at funerals and these are ways to inspire:

• Find another perspective of the situation
• Challenge audience by asking: “What can be great about this?”
• Be personal

Perspective

The frame of mind at funerals are negative - and that’s expected. Everyone at the funeral cares enough about the person to be there. The person not being there anymore will be on everyone’s mind and shift the mood into a sadder mood.

The challenge is to find an inspiring perspective to share. Here is one idea:

Even though the person is not here, look at what they have done: brought us all together!

Challenge

A great way to challenge yourself, and others there, is ask this challenging question:

What can be great about this situation?

Don’t immediately answer, or even share your answer - treat it as a rhetorical and let an answer come to you.

After a moment, an inspiring answer will come to you.

Personal

When delivering a eulogy, share a personal story and add a humorous twist to this story, such as: add another side to the story, or stretch out the story to the present or beyond.

Planning this ahead of time will help. 😉

One of my favorite things to share (or finish with):

The person is in a better place, the most important place they be is in our hearts.

Conclusion

Funerals are a special time - they are a marking of a new stage of your life without that person.

Everyone attending will be in a darker mood than usual - by giving an inspiring eulogy, you will help everyone remember the person in a better perspective than just their current mood.