To die before you die is to be ready to die any moment with no past regrets or future worries.
The wisdom here is to live each moment in totality, in its full measure. Then, when the moment ends, there is no pain, because living in the moment has been complete and absolute.
Just the idea of death has a cleansing effect, instantly eliminating the non-essential while illuminating the essence.
This is the power of death. Rather than invoking fear, death actually brings freedom. Freedom to do, say, and experience what matters.
Steve Jobs said: “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.”