The Follow-Up You Can’t Afford to Delay

I read something yesterday that hit me harder than I expected.

An avid reader of this newsletter, someone who showed up every week, who followed the writing, who I called and left VM’s for, passed away.

I found out from a post on LinkedIn.

And it stopped me.

There’s something surreal about realizing someone you’ve been writing to is suddenly gone.

Someone who invited your work into their week. Someone who was on the other side of the screen, living their own journey, building something, trying to get better.

Gone.

It made me think about a lot of things at once.

Time - Energy - Intentions - Unfinished conversations - Unsent messages - Moments we assume we’ll always get later.

It’s easy to think newsletters, follow-up, business, all of this is about metrics, opens, clicks, replies.

This reminder was different.

There are real people behind these words. Real lives. Real stories. And none of us know how many weeks we have left to read… write…follow up…or say what matters.

So here’s my lesson for the week, and it’s simple…

Reach out to the people you’ve been meaning to. Follow up with the ones who’ve been on your mind. Finish the conversation you left halfway. Say the thing you’ve been waiting for the right time to say.

The right time is now. Later isn’t guaranteed for any of us.

Life is short. Follow-up is long and the connections we build in between that’s the real fortune.

Hold your people close this week.

See you next Tuesday, Follow Up Fam.

Manny “That Follow Up Guy” Vargas