I cleaned out my bedroom closet this morning. I’m not sure what got me started. But once I got going, I couldn’t stop. I literally got rid of half my stuff.

I can’t tell you how good I felt after clearing out all this clutter. With the recession, less is the new more.

I watched in amazement this week as the stock market continued its downward slide. Every time I checked the news, I braced myself for increasingly dire reports. When the market finally closed on Friday afternoon, I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the DOW did not end below 8,000 points.

While the week’s drama had been unfolding on Wall Street, Gail and I were safely tucked away in the Rocky Mountains, spending a few days with several dear friends and industry leaders. Naturally, we talked about the financial crisis, but we also shared some wonderful times of fellowship. We spent most of our time talking about more transcendent issues—things that matter deeply to each of us.

I have met very few people who have a plan for their lives. Most are passive spectators, watching their lives unfold a day at a time. They may plan their careers, the building of a new home, or even a vacation. But it never occurs to them to plan their life. As a result, many end up discouraged and disillusioned, wondering where they went wrong.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can live your life on purpose. It begins by creating a “Life Plan.†This won’t insulate you from life’s many adversities and unexpected twists and turns, but it will help you become an active participant in your life, intentionally shaping your own future.

This morning I had breakfast with Fitz, an old college roommate. We hadn’t seen each other in twenty-two years. To my surprise—and delight—he looked almost exactly as he did the last time I saw him. The only difference was that his blond hair was mostly gray.

We spent an hour or so eating and reminiscing. We talked. We laughed. And we listened. I shared with him pictures of my family, both of us laughing at the fact that I was a grandpa. I was amazed at how much we still had in common, even though both our lives and taken so many unexpected turns.