Lifestyle Design: An Introduction

In essence, lifestyle design is fairly self-explanatory- we devise a blueprint for the life we ultimately desire, then actively get to work building it. We’ve all heard mention of this, and it sounds simple enough in theory, but how do we actually put it into practice?

It’s almost a certainty that we currently live with some circumstances we consider less-than-ideal. The first step therefore is to identify such areas where we seek improvements. At this stage, we don’t even consider potential limitations or obstacles (such as financial matters); they will be dealt with later.

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of aspects to consider:

1.) Career- There’s no requirement that one’s career has to be unfulfilling, and there is certainly no reason why we must settle for one that is.

2.) Financial situation- Financial freedom is likely desired, but exactly what this means is relative to everyone.

3.) Daily habits- From morning to night, how do you want to spend your ‘routine’ days? What habits would you like to establish, and which would you like to dump?

4.) Health habits- Are you completely happy with your current dietary and fitness habits?

5.) Social network- What does your ideal social circle look like?

6.) Hobbies and personal pursuits- Any burning passions that either got neglected somewhere along the way or have always been on a ’someday’ list?

7.) Time constraints and obligations- If certain commitments are neither satisfying nor meaningful, yet they consume precious time and energy, might as well work to eliminate it.

I’m a staunch believer in goal-setting, and I consider this to be an important component within lifestyle design. Our lifestyle should be drafted to include the habits, routines, and resources required to successfully pursue our important goals, and when our goals are completed, then our design can incorporate its realized benefits.

Goals effectively create timetables and a sense of urgency in our design. For example, assume that one of your objective goals is to release an e-book within 1 year, but you currently lack the time required to work on it. Clearly your design needs to include a change in your daily habits, and it’s imperative that you work quickly in freeing up the time necessary to turn the goal into reality. If the goal is important enough, the bulk of the motivation required to make the necessary changes should come naturally.

With the exception of goal deadlines, most of our design needn’t be fit into timeframes. The objective of the outline is to provide a roadmap with which we can make steady, incremental improvements, not to make drastic measures in a attempt to change everything overnight. It can take many years to make sizable changes to some circumstances, and some aspects may never be realized in their entirety. That’s OK though- perfection usually isn’t possible, but continuous growth and improvement are.

A proactive, growth-oriented mindset is the one vital prerequisite for this type of planning. We must fully accept the responsibility of our environment, then consciously decide to shoulder the task of molding it into what we want. Many people do no do this; it’s far easier to play the role of victim and live reactively to the hands that fate deals out. Taking such a route is a surefire way to ensure that we fall short of our potential. Instead, life tends to reward those who take the reins, identify what we want, then go get it.

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