When We Lose Someone Too Soon

As a business owner and leader, I spend most days caught up in goals, deadlines, and the relentless push forward. It’s easy to get lost in it all, to feel like my world is just this nonstop cycle of achieving, fixing, and building. But now and then, something hits that pulls me out of that race completely: losing a friend or peer, especially someone my age or younger.

It shakes me to the core every time, like the ground I’m standing on just isn’t solid anymore.

When someone close to you, someone on the same path, is suddenly gone, it feels surreal. You keep expecting them to walk through the door or send a message, and it’s hard to accept that they won’t. I mean, we’re supposed to be the ones with time on our side, right? We’re in our prime, building our lives and our careers. It’s easy to think we have years ahead of us to get it all right.

When we lose someone, especially someone young, it’s a brutal reminder that we’re not invincible.

A Wake-Up Call to Live Fully

Losing someone makes me take a hard look at how I’m spending my time. Am I living, or am I just going through the motions, sleepwalking through life, always thinking about what’s next? Am I enjoying the people in my life, the moments that matter, or am I rushing past them in the name of progress? These questions start popping up, and I can’t ignore them.

It’s almost like loss gives us this strange permission to hit pause and ask ourselves, “Is this really how I want to be living?” And more often than not, I realise there’s more I could be doing to actually live. Loss reminds me to be present with the people who matter to me, to take time for myself, and to just breathe in moments that I’d usually overlook. It’s the reminder I didn’t know I needed to slow down and savour life.

The Balance We Need but Don’t Talk About

Running and leading a business demands everything from you – time, energy, and sacrifices. It’s easy to fall into this trap of believing that if you’re not grinding every single minute, you’re falling behind. But losing someone reminds me that there’s a price to pay for that kind of mentality. It’s a reminder that we’re human first, business owners/leaders second. And if we don’t look after ourselves, if we don’t find a way to balance ambition with self-care, we’re heading for burnout – or worse.

I think about my friend who’s no longer here, and it makes me wonder: if they knew their time was short, would they have lived differently? It’s a question that makes me want to take care of myself more, to not just survive but to actually feel good and present. Balance isn’t just a nice idea; it’s something we owe to ourselves and to the people we love.

Facing Our Own Mortality

When someone close to my age dies, it’s impossible not to feel the weight of it personally. It’s like looking into a mirror and realising, “That could be me.” It’s not easy to confront, but it puts things into perspective. It makes me ask myself, “What am I really doing all this for?” It forces me to think about the legacy I’m leaving, not just in my business but in the relationships I have, the people I’m helping, and the impact I’m making.

There’s something oddly grounding about realising that one day, I won’t be here either. It’s raw, it’s uncomfortable, but it’s also real. And that reality pushes me to live with intention, to make sure that if today was my last day, I’d be able to say I didn’t waste it. It’s not about being afraid; it’s about using that awareness to live a life that feels meaningful.

Zach Bryan said it beautifully: “I do not, and will not, fear tomorrow because I feel as though today has been enough.”

Living a Life That Honors the People We’ve Lost

We owe it to ourselves and to those who didn’t get as much time to live lives that matter – lives that are filled with purpose, joy, and presence. Losing people we care about reminds us that life isn’t guaranteed, and that can feel heavy. But it also gives us a gift: the awareness to make every day count. And for me, that means building my business, yes, but also building a life I’m proud of, a life filled with moments that matter.

Lead well.

Love life.

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