I want to preface this blog post and start off by repeating the old sage advice, “Life is too short.” It’s nothing new…we have all heard it before. But, there are sometimes things that happen to us in life that cause us to really feel the weight of these words. And I recently had something happen that reminded me how short life is.Â
A Reminder That Life Is Too Short

A couple of months back, I attended a funeral for one of my clients. He was a very successful man who, with his two brothers, ran a software company. He was diagnosed with cancer, and within four months, he passed away. It was very tragic…and it really hit home with me because I run my family’s marketing agency with my two brothers and uncle.Â
He was only 59 years old and had so much living left to do. And you can argue that he was heading into his best years.
I sat there at the funeral, and the emotions of what the brothers and the rest of the family members must be going through washed over me. His brothers were going to have to run the company without him…and his family was going to have to adjust to living their lives without him (while working through the mental anguish of losing him).
Listening to the eulogy and hearing the stories about how he and his brothers grew the business into the success it had become really inspired me. They worked hard to create a culture in their company that had an impact on their employees and their families.
In my own personal experience with the company, I saw their culture was very evident. When I would sit waiting for meetings, everyone in the company who would walk past me would make eye contact and smile. As a fellow business owner, that says something about what they built.Â
What Will People Eulogize You?
As I sat there, it got me thinking about what people would include in my eulogy. This has been on my mind for a while anyway…especially now that I’m in the Optimize Coach Program. As part of my course work, I’ve had to flesh out what I hope people will say in my eulogy and what I want my life to mean…the impact I will have…the legacy. Do you find yourself wondering the same thing?
If you follow Morning Upgrade, there’s a good chance you do.
Having an idea in your mind of what you hope people will remember you for and the impact you had on them can be your guiding light to move towards a meaningful life. It will certainly help you when making decisions in your life. It goes back to what is (and creating) version 2.0 of yourself that we talk about a lot here.
All of these emotions welled up inside me as I mulled over what kind of impact I’m having…and will have…and what people will say at my funeral. I really asked myself honestly, “Am I heading in the right direction?”
Are You Enjoying Life Now?

So, why am I writing about this funeral and what I experienced? Because I hope it will inspire you to think about your life and what changes you should make to become the person you want to be.
My client was only 59 years old when he died…arguably before his peak. He built this successful business that would have given him a great retirement life…but he didn’t get to enjoy it. Building wealth and securing your future–while massively important and not a bad thing–cannot be your only goals in life. Because the sober truth is that you may not get to enjoy those years. You have now. You have today to actively seek a meaningful life.Â
How to Focus on Success While Having Fun
So, how do you focus on being successful in business while still having fun? Here are things I do that are helping me build success while also having fun…see what you can pull from this list that can be applied to your life and daily routine.
Run the Morning Upgrade
Yes, I run the Morning Upgrade to help you, but I also do it for myself. I enjoy it. It pushes me outside of my comfort zone and causes me to look for more lessons and important things to share with you continually.Â
Continually Work on Myself
There are many ways I invest in myself so that I can be the best version of myself. I do this by going through the Optimize Coach Program, my morning routine, listening to books on Audible, and investing in my personal development every day. I focus on organic and healthy eating to live my healthiest life.
Taking Daily Action
Every day, I take action in my business and make sure that I’m working hard (on the right stuff and the important things). I do the best I can and look for ways to improve myself, grow the business, and invest in my team.Â
Making Relationships a Priority
It’s important for me to keep my relationships with my family, friends, clients, and contacts healthy and active. I’ve worked hard to be intentional about investing in others and being aware of what’s going on in their lives. That said, this is very hard to spend time on relationships, and I am NOT perfect…but I do put in the intentional effort.
As often as I can, I have fun nights with my friends, have date nights (and lunches) with my wife, and make time for the people in my life who I care about. You only have a certain amount of time with them thanks to time flying by, so make the most of it.Â
Here’s a sobering thought…my oldest daughter, as I write this, is 11 years old. That means I have about 5-6 quality summers with her where she will be around. What about you and your kids?
I know it’s not easy to balance relationships when life gets busy. But keep relationships at the forefront of your mind as being something that really matters to you…it will be easier for you to spot opportunities.
Find Ways to Have Fun
Having fun, in my opinion, is essential to life…otherwise, what’s the point? For me, having fun can mean going on road trips, drinking wine with my wife, hanging out with friends, going out with other couples, or watching sports at a bar. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Don’t waste your years ONLY putting in hard work and intense pressure on yourself without pleasure because your leisure years may never come.Â
I believe that creating a balance between working and having fun should be a priority for everyone. Put in the hard work at your job or in your business, and then enjoy guilt-free vacations and fun times.Â

I hope that what you walk away with here is that life is too short, so don’t waste the short time you have. I feel that if I were to receive a terminal diagnosis, I wouldn’t have regrets about how I’ve lived up to this point. My hope for you is that you’ll work on building a meaningful life that you can feel the same way about.Â