THE EBENEZER EFFECT
In essence, from the application perspective, the Ebenezer Effect boils down to a simple exercise in writing your own personal eulogy.
The term was coined by Matthew Cossolotto, a success coach, in his book, 'Habitforce: How to Kick the Habits of Failure & Adopt the Habits of Success'.
In an earlier post, I have mentioned about the author, with regard to his exposition of Failure Traps vs Success Tracks.
According to the author, "I recommend that you sit down & take stock of your life. It helps to project yourself into the future & imagine what people are likely to say about you after you're gone. Think of your written eulogy as a 'mission statement' for what you want to accomplish, what kind of person you aspire to be, & how you want to be remembered. It establishes what's most important to you & sets your life's course in the right direction . . . before it's too late.'
Apparently, the author has got his inspiration for the Ebenezer Effect from Charles Dickens classic novel, 'A Christmas Carol'.
Personally, I have not read the original novel, but have seen the movie of the same name, starring George C Scott, during the eighties or so.
In fact, I have also seen two spoof movie versions on cable television in recent months, including 'Scrooged' with Bill Murray as a TV station executive, & 'The Haunted Mansion' with Eddie Murphy as a real estate agent.
According to the story in the movie, Ebenezer Scrooge (George C Scott) was introduced as a hard-nosed, single-minded & uncaring businessman who hated Christmas in Victorian London.
After a day in which he was approached for donations to charities, invited to Christmas eve dinner by his nephew, & did a bit of business at the Exchange, he arrived home to see the image of his late business partner, Jacob Marley (Frank Finlay) on the door knocker.
Jacob's ghost soon visited him & announced the coming visit of three spirit: the Ghost of Christmas Past (Angela Pleasance), the Ghost of Christmas Present (Edward Woodward), & the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-come (Michael Carter).
The three spirits took Scrooge on a journey of discovering the true meaning of Christmas.
When the Ghost of Christmas yet-to-come transported him to a scene just after his own funeral, he endured the painful truth of what people really thought of him. Then he had a shocking rendezvous with his own morality when he saw his engraved name on his own tombstone. It was an alarming but valuable wake-up call for the curmudgeon.
Scrooge exclaimed to the spirit: "I'm not the man I was. I will not be that wretched creature any longer."
He was indeed transformed & woke up the next morning, Christmas Day, a changed man.
That's the power of the Ebenezer Effect.
The author urges all of us who want to jump start & sustain positive change in our lives to learn from Scrooge as a role model.
The author adds further:
“Remember, the eulogy you write today isn't etched in stone. And it probably won’t be delivered anytime soon.
You can always go back to the document periodically and make some edits, add new goals or even remove things that no longer apply. The key is to get something on paper that reflects your long-term goals, heartfelt values, and deepest principles. Those things shouldn't change very much over time. This exercise helps you get clear about your major priorities and values and keeps you on track.
Think of it as your personal mission statement. It gives you a sense of purpose by setting your life’s course in the direction you want it to take. Then it’s your job to make those things happen.”
Frankly, I had played a variation of the foregoing exercise before, during the nineties. I was given a line diagram showing a tombstone. I was then asked to write my own personal epitaph.
To paraphrase the author:
“Writing your own eulogy might strike some people as a bit morbid. But I think this exercise helps to focus the mind on long-term goals & on big questions about your life’s purpose. It’s much better to get a jump on this way ahead of time."
