Yesterday I received a phone call that my good friend and mentor, Rob Berkley passed away.

Fifteen months ago he was diagnosed with stage 4 gastric cancer.  His love of life and people kept him working and helping others up until his last days.

I met Rob at a mastermind I’m a part of.  I was struggling with the direction of my life, and nearly everyone at the first meeting said, “You have to do a Rob Berkley Vision Day.” I asked what it was, and they said the same thing: “It’s hard to explain but just do it.”

I couldn’t afford his fee at the time, so he gave me a “friends discount” and a generous payment plan. That was some of the best money I’ve ever spent.

Before my day at his beautiful home in Martha’s Vineyard, I had to do a mound of paperwork that consisted of answering deeply thoughtful questions.

When I finished, I understood more about myself and how other people viewed me than ever before. I went to Vision Day with a pretty good vision of my future already in place.

When I arrived at Rob’s home, I was greeted by him, his charming wife Debbie, and their everpresent cat Wilbur. As I walked down the hallway to a room created exclusively for Vision Days, I was in awe of the stunning photography that graced the walls. I asked Rob who the artist was. He humbly admitted it was him.

We arrived at the double doors leading into the Vision Day room, and I saw a large bow tied across the door handles. My cynical side thought it was kind of corny but then Rob, with a smile and excitement in his voice, told me to untie the ribbon, signaling the beginning of my vision day. The minute I untied the bow and walked through the doors into the room full of warm, natural light, I no longer thought it was corny. It was a uniquely moving experience.

In the back of my mind, I wondered if Rob had read all of the paperwork I had completed or if it was just for “show.” Of course, he had read every word, and  he was thoroughly prepared.

I had never been more at ease or felt more accepted and loved by someone who I honestly didn’t really know at the time.

Rob gave me the space to open up and become completely vulnerable. There was no judgment just compassion.  Because of this gift he gave me, I could go deep and express what I truly wanted for my life.

So many breakthroughs happened that day. Yes, I had the “plan” for my life, but I also had something more significant – peace of mind.

After that day, I hired Rob to be my coach, but he was much more than that. He was a true friend. Whenever I struggled, Rob was there with sage words of wisdom to ease my burden and guide me to a solution.

I once asked Rob, “How can you have people into your home day after day?” He looked at me quizzically and replied, “Because I love it. It energizes me.” You see, Rob Berkely lived his mission daily.

His fantastic wife Debbie said this today in her Facebook post:

“The greatest way you can honor him is to really listen to someone in your life today and leave them a little better than you found them. “

That who Rob Berkley was, and because of that, his light will continue to shine on in the people who he touched.

Dave Dee