I have shaken hands with a president. I have seen Manet’s Olympia up close and personal. I have vacationed at a spa in St. Lucia.

And those weren’t even on my Bucket List.

OK, so I didn’t really call it a Bucket List, but the current movie of that name starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson has me thinking about the concept. About 15 years ago -- while reading the classic What Color Is Your Parachute? – I did an exercise that called for completing this thought: Before I die, I want to …

I wound up writing a list of 10 things and then stuffing it in a drawer. By some weird coincidence, or not, I found the list a week ago. I am proud to say I’ve done or partially done seven things on my list. It seems a new one is in order.

While I admit this is a fun exercise, it is far from a frivolous one. If this is done thoughtfully, it can provide an invaluable snapshot of what you want your life to be about. I always call on my clients to craft a vision of their goals achieved, but this takes it a step further by increasing the timeline and scope significantly.

What do you want to do before you die? Or look at it another way – if you die tomorrow, what would your list of regrets look like?

Last year a feature on the Travel Channel -- 1000 Places To See Before You Die -- caught my attention because it had this theme. I enjoyed watching the openness of the young couple on the show as they marveled at the wonders of Alaska and Venice and so forth. However, on one of the early episodes, the woman told a seemingly innocuous story that I couldn’t shake. When she and her husband won this amazing opportunity and shared it with friends, the response in some cases was to the tune of, "How can you put your life on hold to do this?"

Imagine that. That is how we think now. Seeing the world is considered putting your life on hold. Is that crazy or what? So according to common wisdom, laying your eyes on a real honest-to-goodness glacier is going to stop you from what? Getting ahead at work? Cutting your lawn? Shuttling your kids to soccer practice? Seeing the latest action flick? Padding your retirement account? Going to the Olive Garden?

A decade ago, while being interviewed for a journalism fellowship at a major university, a prominent national journalist/author on the panel asked if it would bother me to be "out of the loop" for so long. We were both sports writers and I knew what he meant, but I was incredulous nonetheless. Would it be worth missing some basketball games and lacrosse matches to have the gift of two semesters of intellectual stimulation at a sprawling, vibrant campus? Heck yes.

Isn't it time to pause and reflect when we start to view explorations, big and small, as putting our lives on hold? It brings to mind the saying, "Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans." Yes, the work and the lawn and the movie are part of life. And if we're smart and emotionally healthy, we have designed that life to our liking. But let's not get so caught up in the routine that we view the sabbaticals as an intrusion.

What do you want to do before you die? Figure it out and then build it into your life plan. The way I see it, NOT doing so would be putting your life on hold.

Me, I’ve got to get crackin’ on a beachfront home and a new list.

Nancy Colasurdo is a practicing life coach and freelance writer. Her Web site is www.nancola.com. Please direct all questions/comments to FOXGamePlan@gmail.com.