Today, I attended a very close friend's father's funeral. He was 91 and had an illustrious career as a physician in a specialty area at a prominent New York City Hospital. As with many occasions like this, I was moved by what his family and colleagues said. They spoke about his manner in making the contributions he made to his patients and medicine. He was described as "an old school physician" who had a personal touch, even once driving a patient in an acute state to the hospital in his own car while the patient threw up! His children spoke eloquently and emotionally about the kind of man their father was. I knew him and will miss him.

My friend's husband said, "It just makes all the politics and office stuff seem so trivial."We all have defining moments like this when we are moved, touched by how fleeting life is and called to respond to something larger than ourselves and our view of the world. And then we go "back to reality." Or, go back to sleep.All strategic planning processes start with the end in mind. What's your life strategy? What do you want your obituary to say? Morbid. Maybe. But if you don't envision the totality of your life and what you want it to be about, you may swim real hard upstream, and miss the boat. Or be on the wrong boat.

So set your sail and do some envisioning of what you really WANT and feel CALLED to accomplish - at home with loved ones - and in the world - with how you make money and give back.What do you want your reality to be? Question your assumptions and perceptions about what is possible. Have you ever had an erroneous belief?