Getting personal for a moment, I lost my mom a few years ago. Actually, it was only 18 months ago. I’m still recovering from the struggle of her sickness and all the events that followed. I got married a year after she passed, which brought incredible amounts of joy in to my life, yet I was still in this shroud of darkness from dealing with all the emotions and grief that came with such personal loss.

I share this because it’s key to the point I want to make. I cannot stress enough how important it is that you are living — and enjoying — the life you have been given.

My mom had her first cancer when she was my age — 29. She felt her life threatened at this young age and decided that she would go live her life to its fullest by experiencing everything it has to offer. She had her partner in crime, my father, and together they experienced so much life exploration.

My mom always feared she’d be taken from this world before she was truly ready, so she made note to live as much life as possible. This outlook led to world travels, prioritization of family and friends over long working hours, and a truly fulfilling and enriching life together.

Yet despite my parents so clearly choosing life and relationships, I’ve grappled with what to do with my life throughout the years.

I’m insanely ambitious and always strive to achieve. I crave accomplishment and seek success, driving forward with endless tenacity and unwavering persistence. I’m constantly exploring, learning, and growing, as it’s clear to me that self-improvement is an integral part of living my best life.

And I’ve achieved! From entertainment to creative agencies to technology and personal projects, I’ve continually created successes with every engagement I’ve worked on and company I’ve been a part of.

And then I lost my mom. Which is about the time when everything clicked.

I remember sitting in the hospitals in Philly, and the hospitals in Houston, and seeing all the sick people. It was the first time I had ever been around truly sick, dying people. People of all ages — from 5 to 90 — were roaming the halls and sitting with their people.

My parents and I would talk a lot about life, and how we got to where we are, and I’d just listen to everything they had to say. I couldn’t believe this was happening to my mom. To my family. I couldn’t believe she was going to be taken from us at 57 — she’d never even see retirement!! That was insanely aggravating and devastated me at my core. My parents would never grow old together, which is what I’ve always wanted to do with my life: grow old with my partner after experiencing everything life has to offer.

Which brings us back to Mexico. Where I’m writing to you from, now.