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Writer's pictureGreg Bennick

Thoughts on living large in the face of: death! Everyone's favorite subject...

Updated: Sep 30



My friend Gail Rubin is cool.  Her tagline as a speaker is:


“talking about sex won’t make you pregnant,

talking about funerals won’t make you dead”


She is a death expert (everyone’s favorite subject!), and her life mission is to help people navigate it, live more fully, talk about it, and even plan for it. 


We met through the National Speakers Association, and I liked her uplifting and fun approach to a serious subject. She liked that I was focused on focus and that I am an expert on the life-enhancing work of Pulitzer Prize–winning cultural anthropologist Dr. Ernest Becker.


She had me on her podcast for a three-part episode to talk about my expertise on the subject of living more fully and how exploring our limitations inspires more laughter and more life. I will put links in the first comment to all three short episodes. 


Our talk about death was actually really uplifting because the topic encourages us to live more fully and appreciate each moment. It reminds us of the impermanence of life, prompting us to cherish our relationships and experiences. It improves morale, prevents burnout, reduces fear and anxiety, and makes us more resilient and accepting of challenges. It can lead to deeper, more meaningful conversations with teammates, fostering a sense of creative expansion. Ultimately, by the end of the third episode, we can a sense of what truly matters.


My new book, “Reclaim the Moment: 7 Strategies to Build a Better Now” (available everywhere), explores the idea of how we create more space for living, working, and connecting fully. I have looked at the world through this philosophical lens for over 25 years. 


Many of the lyrics on my band Trial's album were inspired by thinkers throughout history who elevated life by looking at its finality. I’ve been at this for a long time, looking at it from different perspectives.


Ernest Becker's thoughts on the fear of death, as explored in his seminal work "The Denial of Death," suggest that by recognizing and confronting our mortality, we can transform this existential anxiety into a driving force for a more meaningful life. Becker posits that much of human behavior is motivated by an unconscious fear of death, and by bringing this fear to the forefront of our consciousness, we can break free from the self-imposed limitations it creates.


This awareness encourages us to pursue our passions, foster deep connections, and engage in acts that transcend our individual existence, thus crafting a legacy that outlives us. By embracing Becker's insights, we can live more fully, driven by the understanding that our time is finite and that each moment offers an opportunity to make a lasting impact.


And check out Gail online. She goes by “The Doyenne of Death” and is a creative thinker — the kind the world needs more of.





Learn more about my keynotes to help you build a better now: here!

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