Mike MilliganFounder and CEO, 1.oak Financial · Founder and CEO, 1.oak Financial

The Entrepreneur’s Greatest Reward

3 Jun 2026 · 1 min

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0:56

In this excerpt from his YouTube video “The Entrepreneur’s Greatest Reward,” Mike Milligan explains his personal motto, “never miss a moment.” He argues that many people stay so focused on work that they miss the world around them. Milligan shares a vivid anecdote from living in Puerto Rico, where a sudden, NFL‑style halftime show erupted in a park while he was out for dinner, illustrating how unexpected experiences can be missed if one is not present. He connects this mindset to entrepreneurship, stating that the ultimate goal of building a business is to gain freedom, and that maintaining mantras like his helps ensure one lives a life without later regret. By consistently reminding himself to stay present, he aims to avoid waking up wishing he had done more.

Chapters

What do you personally get out of that motto, never miss a moment? So many people have their heads down and they literally are not focused on the world around them. Like, I live, David, I live in Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, like, I could be walking down the street tonight for dinner and all of a sudden in the park, a full-on halftime show like from the NFL will pop up, right? With full-on dancing and fun and entertainment. But if, like, if I was so engrossed in everything I do, like, the purpose of building business. The purpose of being an entrepreneur is to ultimately have freedom. That's what a one-of-a-kind life is, is freedom. And if you don't have a couple of mottos in your life, like never miss a moment, just these mantras that you consistently say to yourself over time, well, all of a sudden you're going to wake up on a bed and say, I wish I would have done more than I actually did in my life.