Shawn Phillips | Start Strong Monday

Keli McGregor : Colorado Rockies President

I won’t bother asking, we’re never ready to die.

Sure, there’s a vague sense it will come “some day” but not any time soon so why bother worrying about it.

In fact, “if you don’t mind Shawn I’d prefer not to even think about it.”

But… What if… What if death doesn’t come on your schedule, when it’s convenient for you or your family?

Not a comfortable thought. It brings up a lot of worry. For there are so many things we haven’t yet done, places we haven’t been and things we want to do, be and have.

Even a moment’s thought of “leaving” and your mind starts thinking of all the things you still want to do. It’s common for life to become a great big “do” list, a running series of achievements. What we have or have not gotten done.

But what if “what” is the wrong question?

What if the measure of a life is not in the “what” but in the “how.”

How did you get it done? How did you live?

Perhaps quality of life is the “something more” than quantity of things accumulated many are searching for.

When the end has come and we’re gone, looking back with hearts wide open, the greatest impact, the things that will remain alive in the hearts of all the lives we touch will not be the “what” you accomplished but “how” you did it, how you lived life.

The Key to Fulfillment
Perhaps the key to a rich, fulfilling life is not found in the end result, the achievements; not in the touchdown scored, the game won, or even the pass caught but in how strong you stood in the huddle, how close you stood with others, how you carried yourself when no one was looking.

I’m sure you know the saying, “Life is in the journey, not the destination.” or some derivation of that. But what does it mean to be present to the journey, to be a source of strength and inspiration.

I stood witness this past weekend to a vibrant example of what it means to embrace the journey, to be present to the moments that make for a life well lived.

Even Giants Die
It was a sunny Colorado spring Sunday morning that found me sitting about 8 rows up behind home base in one of the most beautiful ball parks in America, Coors Field.

Colorado Sky from Coors Field

The clouds scattered across the blue sky, the sun shone brightly down and the mountains still covered in snow out over center field. Picture perfect in every way, a dream day except for fact I wasn’t there for a baseball game but attending the memorial service for a friend.

I’d gathered there with a few, three thousand or so, friends and family to pay witness to a life well lived, one done right—lived for the journey—a resounding success no matter how you were scoring. Albeit much too short by all accounts.

Keli Scott McGregor was a Big man, literally and figuratively. A former NFL player whose 6’7” frame always seemed oddly too small for his huge heart and spirit.

A man I’ve known since I was a boy, we went to nearby, competing high schools and played football against each other. Then we went to the same university, Colorado State.

Keli, a walk-on tight end, went on to become a two-time all American, multiple record holder and member of the CSU sports hall of fame, was drafted into the NFL by his home team, no less, the Denver Broncos. I can only imagine the thrill he had running out on to that football field in front of all his friends and family.

A Two-Time All-American at CSU

Everybody’s All-American, Keli McGregor was the father of four amazing children, husband to his high-school sweetheart for 25 years, and a little too good looking to be so talented and successful. I can honestly say it didn’t seem fair at times. And with all the good fortune that he created, he was the most compassionate, present and caring man I’ve ever known.

I was fortunate to come to call Keli my friend in our adult years through the EAS’ relationship with the Colorado Rockies, the organization he invested 17 years—the last 9 as the Rockies President—helping to build into one of the strongest brands in MLB. A team that has made the Series and become a championship contender in recent years.

Now and then we’d catch breakfast near his home and my office in Golden, to talk life, leadership, children and purpose. I looked forward to those mornings and always felt stronger, more awake afterwards.

I’d see him at the ball park often catching him and his side kick, Greg, in the gym working out or just heading that way. To say Keli was a fitness enthusiast is to undersell his passion for living fit and strong. He was a true specimen of a man; tall, good looking, fit and strong.

A Life Well Lived
In the two hours of watching, listening and feeling how he lifted people, most already larger than life leaders themselves, and witnessing the strength and courage of his four young children as they spoke of their father, I came to the clearest distinction I’ve ever known on what it means live the journey of life and to live it right.

Here was a giant of a man, in every way an American success story who could have lived life on any terms he wanted.

So which terms did he choose?

He knew deep in his soul that beyond the goals, results and all those things desirable—that one could and should strive for, that it’s not the “what” you get to have or do or achieve is all secondary to how you do it.

He chose to live transparently, his values, vision and purpose in
complete alignment.

You can find yourself with all the trimmings and trappings of a great life but if you sacrificed your values, stepped on others, cut corners along the way your victory would be as empty as it is large.

Keli chose to do good and do it well. For when you get that it is about the journey, about how you are being, you instantly have riches beyond compare, regardless of what you do or don’t achieve or where you rank on the Forbes list.

Keli Embraced Leadership

Fact is people pass and we all miss them, it’s sad. We grieve for our loss, we grieve for all the could have been and should have been. Faced with seemingly permanent separation we remember the love, joy and all the best qualities of a person.

But what I witnessed here was more than that—much more than just the loss of an amazing athlete, a courageous leader, or even a loving husband and father. This was the rarest of men; a man who was driven, succeeded and lived by his principles, value driven without exception. And yet a man who valued the moments, enjoyed the journey and took the time to tell people they mattered, to touch others, to think about them.

For Keli there was only one way to play the game—the right way.

As I listened to the impact this man created in just 48 short years, I thought about the many more famous and much more wealthy people who will one day be eulogized and applauded for their success—but not receive such glowing recognition for doing right embodying unwavering values.

To Keli winning at all costs was a price way too high to be worth paying. It was the wrong way to play the game of baseball and life.

A Full Strength Life
We all go at some point, even you and I. This we know. But the departure from this earth for some will “get ya” more than others—more than you expect.

That’s how it is with Keli. I knew him but most everyone who knew him can say they knew him well—that’s the kind of man he was. But it’s not like we played golf weekly or belonged to the same bowling league. Maybe it’s a father thing and wanting to ease the pain his children, and his wife. And it’s part that, as Opie once said to his Pa, Andy (Griffith) Taylor, “Well Pa, he is one of my own kind.” Keli was one of “us,” a true Full Strength Man: 40-something, successful, on purpose, a strong and compassionate leader with an amazing heart. As fit and strong as any man I know, there was no reason to expect he’d go. Yes, when we lose “one of our own kind” it hits home extra hard.

No doubt there will be some people, allergic to health and fitness, who will use the passing of a healthy, fit man in his prime as a reason to remain a physical wreck. But we know it’s not about how we go but how we live. Keli’s legacy will live on for many lifetimes—and he’d be the first one to tell you that very little of his achievements of heroic proportions would have been possible had he not been a fit, vibrant man of great Strength; physically, mentally and spiritually.

Keli, you will be missed by your friends, by your team, by all those lives you were yet to impact but by none more than your family; your parents, sisters and your wife Lori and your four amazing children. You will not be forgotten—you will live on in all those same lives, especially in your children who are already such an amazing reflection of your devotion and strength.

My Challenge For You
The question I leave you with is: How are you living to be remembered? What will your legacy be?

I invite you to take this opportunity to pause, reflect and project on your life—double check to see if the things you are doing, the person you are being is the right one, the best one you can imagine being, the one that will leave people standing in awe long after you’ve left.

To Your Life @ Full Strength,

Shawn
Follow Me: /Twitter/shawn_phillips

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Meet The Author, Shawn

Known as "The Fitness Philosopher," for his deep, clear approach to the cutting through the fitness conundrum, Shawn is a 20+ year veteran in the field of Lifestyle Fitness and Peak Performance. Author of several best-selling book, with one of the most photographed physiques in history, Shawn, with his brother, Bill Phillips (Body for LIFE) catapulted EAS sports nutrition into the world leader and Muscle Media magazine and the documentary movie, Body of Work. He created the first computerized training system in PowerBuilding and the popular Variable Split System for Muscle Mass. Now, in his 40's, a husband and father of two young children, Shawn is passionate about helping busy, high-achieving "men in the middle" enjoy vibrant, energized, amazing, Full Strength lives! He has recently created the World’s 1st and only true premium nutrition shake for men, Full Strength — clinically proven to build muscle, burn fat and boost energy. His most recent book, Strength for LIFE is the "how to" guide to a Lifestyle of Fitness Freedom.