Drafting your Lifestyle Design

As stated in the previous post, I’m a fan of the art of lifestyle design.
My interpretation of lifestyle design is similar to that of a mathematical equation, a business model or a sense of balance in nature. It’s very unique to every person and should be treated as such. But what is it to design one’s lifestyle?

After setting the stage by charting your short term and long term goals (see previous post), one can begin to tangibly visualize their future lifestyle. Just like a building architect, I suggest sitting down with a large sheet of white paper and a soft lead pencil. Write down bullet points describing where you are in life.

1. Write down your top 5-10 relationships (top 5 being people you see on a daily/weekly basis).
2. Write down your current career or business level, company, one sentence phrase describing what you do for income.
3. Write down where you live, what you do for enjoyment/relaxation, etc.

Now go back and examine each area. Write down in a different section, what you wish these sections would look like.

1. Write down your top 5-10 relationships:Who do you wish you’d spend more time with, how many of these relationships are positive and enrich your life, what type of new people do you wish to meet, how can you build more? Who do you wish you could connect with in your past, but haven’t found the time?
   
   
2. Current career or business level, company, mission statement:
   Define your passions in life, both hobbies and actual actions. Which of these interests can
   you combine with your career or transform your career into?
   
   
3. Where you live, what you do for enjoyment/relaxation, etc.
   What hobbies or passions do you wish to explore? Have you ever thought of traveling or living somewhere else? Where, for how long and when?
   How do you unwind at the end of the day? How do you greet the beginning of the day? How do you want to change or improve upon these greetings?

By defining what it is you wish your life to be in detail, you realistically set ideals that allow your mind and the energy you put into life to guide you towards these self-improvements.

In general, my take on success management is that many people advise the same thing (that some feel is common sense), but in a different way utilizing unique delivery methods. Different people take in information, education and motivation in different ways. Thus it’s important to seek inspiration and understanding from a variety of different sources until you find the one that fits you best.