How to Avoid a Boring Eulogy Pt. 1

Surround Yourself With Rad People

We don’t like to think about the end, but let’s be honest—there’s going to be a day when people gather around to talk about us after we’re gone. And when that day comes, the stories they tell are going to reflect how we lived. It’s not going to be about how many zeroes were in our bank account or how many LinkedIn connections we had—it’s going to be about the relationships. The adventures. The way we showed up for people and how they showed up for us.

If we want to avoid a boring eulogy—a polite but forgettable collection of generic statements—we need to be intentional about the kind of life we’re building right now. And that starts with the people we’re doing life with.

It’s All About the People

Have you ever had one of those nights where nothing particularly exciting was happening, but somehow it turned into one of the best times of your life? Or have you ever known someone who could make even the most mundane task—like folding laundry or running errands—feel like an adventure?

That’s not about the activity. That’s about the people. Some people have this incredible ability to make the ordinary feel extraordinary. They make us better just by being around them. They stretch us, challenge us, and inspire us. And if we surround ourselves with people like that, we become better versions of ourselves almost by default.

There’s a reason people say, “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.” Or that idea that we become the average of the five people we spend the most time with. It’s because we can’t help but be shaped by the people around us.

If we want to avoid a boring eulogy, we’ve got to make sure we’ve got the right people in our circle. But here’s the thing: those kinds of people want to be around awesome people too. And that means becoming the kind of person we want to attract.

If You Want to Attract Rad People, You Might Need to Become One

If you want to be around people who are encouraging, inspiring, and adventurous—guess what? You might need to become more encouraging, inspiring, and adventurous yourself.

Want to spend time with people who are bold enough to chase after big dreams? You might need to start saying yes to the unknown more often.

Want to surround yourself with patient, kind people? That probably means learning to be a little more patient and a lot more kind.

Want to be around people who bring out the best in others? You might need to start being intentional about encouraging the people in your life right now.

It’s not about trying to become someone you’re not—it’s about growing into the person you were always meant to be. Because people are like magnets. Positivity attracts positivity. Growth attracts growth. Authenticity attracts authenticity. And the more we lean into that, the more likely we are to find the kind of people who will fill our lives with meaning and purpose.

Three Practical Ways to Find Your People

It’s not enough to just sit around and hope incredible people will find us. We’ve got to put ourselves in the right places and take intentional steps to build the kind of community we want to be part of. Here’s how:

1. Go Where the People Are

If you want to meet people who value faith, spend some time at church.

If you want to hang out with adventurous people, join a hiking group or get out on the water with a surfboard.

If you want to improve your health, start spending time at the gym.

You’re not going to find your people by sitting at home waiting for the perfect crew to knock on your door. You’ve got to get in the room where the kind of people you admire are hanging out.

We don’t need to have all the answers before we show up. Just showing up is often the hardest part—and it’s the most important one.

2. Go Beyond Small Talk

Once you’re in the right room, don’t just stay on the surface. Nobody builds meaningful relationships talking about the weather.

Be real. Ask thoughtful questions. Listen when people answer.

You don’t have to spill your life story to a stranger, but you can skip the polite chatter and ask questions that matter.

• What’s something you’re passionate about right now?

• What’s been challenging for you lately?

• What’s a dream you’ve been sitting on for too long?

Authenticity is magnetic. When we care about other people’s stories, we open the door to deeper connection.

3. Be Intentional About Who You’re Becoming

Here’s the thing: it’s hard to find the right people if we don’t even know where we’re going.

When we’re unclear about the kind of life we want to build, it’s easy to get pulled in a dozen different directions. That’s why it matters to define who we’re becoming.

Do you want to be someone who lives with courage?

Do you want to be someone who invests deeply in the people around you?

Do you want to be someone who leads with kindness?

When we know the kind of person we want to become, it’s easier to spot the people on a similar path. And when we find those people, the decisions about who to walk with become clearer.

So, What Kind of Stories Do You Want Told About You?

At the end of the day, our lives are going to be measured by the relationships we built and the adventures we shared.

No one’s going to care how many Instagram followers we had or how much our house was worth. But they will remember how we made them feel. They’ll remember the times we showed up. The times we laughed until we cried. The times we took a leap of faith and invited others to leap with us.

So if you want to avoid a boring eulogy, start now.

Start becoming the kind of person you’d want to be friends with.

Start surrounding yourself with people who stretch you, encourage you, and bring out your best.

Start showing up with authenticity and courage.

Because when we do that, we won’t just avoid a boring eulogy.

We’ll live a life so full and so meaningful that people will still be telling stories about it for generations to come.

Let’s go find our people.