One of the best pieces of advice in the world comes from the Scouts: be prepared. For everything, always. There is no question that you can prepare your day for work, you can prepare your lunch for the meal you have at your desk. You can even plan and prepare your wedding day. Many people forget to prepare for death, though.

I don’t mean to be morbid, I really don’t. But when did you last consider dying? It’s not something any of us like to think about – it’s depressing to imagine a world where you don’t exist anymore. It’s unimaginable, in fact. The thing is, you’re going to be able to feel prepared in life if you have prepared a pack with the local funeral home. You need to think about your death because it’s a practical thing to do. There’s no ‘if’ in death. Everyone is going to die at some point in life, and it’s the only certainty you get in life. So why not be prepared for it? Why not consider the fact that you need to be ready for this thing that will happen who knows when? Below, we’ve got some reasons behind being prepared for this moment in life. 

1. It’s inevitable. We’re going to go a little Thanos here: death? It’s as inevitable and as sure as the sun will rise and set in a day. You can’t know when or where, and you can’t know how. But you know it’s going to happen. Preparing for your funeral just makes sense because then the people you leave behind are going to be ready for you.
2. It’s essential. Everything on this planet, in this life, must die for the life cycle to continue. Plants die to feed the earth, animals die to feed bigger animals, the sun dies in the day to shine for another part of the world. Death is essential and it’s a part of life that we all have to get used to. Tiptoeing around it won’t make it go away.
3. You can help those left behind. If you prepare for your death, you are going to take the stress and pressure off the people grieving for you who have been left behind. You need to think about how your death affects them, and then make life easy for them instead of harder. 
4. It makes the moments precious. Those moments you wish away? Those are your precious moments you’ll look back on if you’re privileged enough to be old one day. Knowing that death is at the end of life is something that can give you the kick you need to chase your dreams and do the things that make you happy. You have a real chance to make your mortality your reason for being. It’s coming at some point and no one knows where they are in the queue.

Being prepared for work is the small stuff in life. Being prepared for your death is just being intelligent.