My experience with death is watching from the sidelines. Most dying persons I’ve sat with appeared ready in their own way. Perhaps you’ll feel ready, or have some things left undone. Find peace with yourself, if at all possible. “Be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.” --Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, 1952

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Some people chose to plan a “living wake,” having a big party for all their relatives and friends before they die. If this is something you hope to do, you will need to plan ahead, and talk with family and friends to help make arrangements. Remember, because nobody really knows when you will die, you may not be present after all, or you may linger after attending your exit party!

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Start advocating for yourself! Not everyone is able to do this well, so you might need to rely on someone else to advocate for you. Have vital discussions with them now, to ensure they are supporting what is really important to you.

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This is a time of re-evaluating priorities. Do you know the things that matter the most to you now? You may want to practice the “six months to live” test. What would you do, where would you live, who would you be with if you had six months to live? Now is a good time to think this through.

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No one has the “right way” or all the answers to journey through illness, and eventual dying. Just as every birth is a unique experience for every individual, the way you choose to go out of this life will be your own unique journey.

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Tap into your purpose, even if it is a slight glimmer that you see when you are experiencing a down day or in a slump. Feed you thoughts with your passions and potential. Feel how loved you are and know you are important. It will help you get back up and keep trying when you remember your infinite worth and start fueling yourself with your passion again.

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Life is what you make it. You can dwell on the bad and think about all that went wrong. Or you can make a choice to turn your thoughts to pushing forward, utilizing the tools you are learning to heal and replenish. Your thoughts about yourself and life is your mindset; take care of that and be sure to think the best of yourself and believe in yourself.

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What is your greatest source of light and strength? Take time to discover it. When you find what truly feeds your soul beyond your own power, tap into it often. Knowing what your center of strength is and embracing it, fills your soul up with healing and light. You have everything in you to overcome, and there are resources to help you move forward. Tap into both.

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What you think about, comes about. The mind can achieve what it sees. Take time to envision what is possible, what will be, what can be, what good you will do. Envision the right people coming into place to put things in motion for you to live your purpose and passion. Your vision and how you see yourself, even the future, is what ignites it coming into fruition.

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Claiming where you are right now and being present with what has happened in no way means you are stuck here, in this pain. What happened to you does not define you, how you move forward does. This is part of your journey and as you push forward, you will inspire others to do the same. You will be liberated when you see your potential and live your purpose.

See all 100 lessons in Six-Word Lessons to Overcome Abuse and Adversity.