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Lifestyle design is one of the most fun and rewarding projects you can dive into! It is a journey and process that everyone should embark on.
Finding clarity on exactly what you want your life to look like is an amazing thing you can do for yourself at any point in your life.
It gives you direction, passion, purpose, goals, and peace of mind knowing the grand scheme of what really matters to you.
What is Lifestyle Design?
- Focusing on YOUR dreams ONLY
- Discovering exactly what those dreams are
- Planning and goal creation
- Seeing it happen!
Lifestyle design is the intentional process of building a clear vision of your ideal lifestyle. Focusing on the top priorities and necessities first then building up from there.
It is deciding exactly what is best for you and what would make you the happiest, most fulfilled version of yourself. (regardless of what anyone else says you should want)
Lifestyle design is about getting specific. You may have general ideas of what you want, but the goal is to build a paradise, not chase after a fuzzy mirage.
If you are big on manifestation, one of the key principles in The Secret By Rhonda Byrne is to visualize as clearly as possible what you want to happen.
Lifestyle design is different than what you want to have or who want to be with. it is what you want to do every day, every week, etc. How do you want your daily routine to look like?
What would fill your heart with joy throughout each day?
Lifestyle design does not have to be a strict schedule or routine. Maybe you want to work towards a life where you can explore new things that interest you each day.
The term lifestyle design originated from Tim Ferriss in his book “The 4-Hour Work Week”.
The realization that the life you are currently living is much different from the life you want to have can be a painful yet beautiful rebirth. Often we must break down before we are able to rebuild better and stronger.
Essentially, lifestyle design matters because your life matters, and so does your happiness. YOU matter.
Choosing to delve into lifestyle design is also choosing to prioritize your own well-being. It is an act of kindness, bravery, and faith in yourself.
If you are not satisfied with your current life, take this as an opportunity for hope and understand that this is the first step. Every good story has a twist, as well as hardships along the way. Each day that you wake up, remember that your story is still only beginning.
So, with all that said let’s explore how to actually get started designing your life.
Asking Big Questions
Sometimes, to build up our true ideal futures, we must first break down and question the biases that are holding us back.
This can be the most uncomfortable part for some. We humans like to cling to our world views taught to us to feel right and smart and in control. The best first step (that should be regularly repeated) is believing in the possibility that you are wrong.
Let go of what you think you should want or how others will perceive your life.
If you need some ideas on questions to ask yourself, Here is a list for exactly that!
Journaling
One of the best ways to help your ideas flow is to write it all down.
This is a great way to get through all of those tough questions you are asking yourself.
It can be very helpful to write it down physically with pencil and paper, but any way you prefer to write (notes app, typing, etc.) is extremely helpful!
When you are exploring this process, it can be easy to get overwhelmed or confused. Finding a way to express your thoughts, feelings, and ideas is essential.
Let this process be fun! Make diagrams, draw pictures, highlight everything if you want! Remember this is all about YOU!
Vision Boarding
If you aren’t sure where to start with vision boarding, here is a blog post on how to make an effective vision board!
Vision boards are so helpful and inspiring! They are also often the most fun part of the process.
What aesthetics appeal most to you? Make sure that you feel HAPPY when looking at your vision board! The main goal of it is to spark hope, passion, and excitement for what lies ahead!
Organization
A big part of making lifestyle design more digestible is to categorize your main ideas.
Try to make it easier by selecting 3-5 or so biggest priorities. The things that if everything else went to crap, you’d still consider your life to be awesome.
expand on those categories and get specific with each one.
For example, if one category you choose is travel, where exactly do you want to go? Do you want to do mostly camping, hitchhiking, and hostels? Or do you want a more luxurious travel style? Maybe a mix of both!
There are no wrong answers! Getting a bit organized can help you not get too overwhelmed with all the wonderful ideas. It will allow you to focus on one thing at a time if you need to.
Manifesting
The primary idea of manifestation is that your thoughts are in charge of your reality and whatever you focus on is drawn to you.
Whether you believe in universe energy, placebos, or God, people everywhere swear by this idea of manifestation.
It is a win-win to try. Changing your mindset to focus on positivity and trust that things will be great (and already are), will of course make you happier in general!
If you are brand new to manifestation or want to try it out again, here is a blog post that could be helpful to you!
If you want to learn more about manifesting, here are some amazing books on the subject!
Repeat!
An important part of this process is to regularly revisit these ideas and goals.
Find ways to reignite your passion for the things you want, and find ways to regularly ask yourself if you feel you are on your ideal path.
Life is full of surprises, and will never go exactly as we planned. Your perfect lifestyle may change and grow alongside you.
Having goals, dreams, passions, and desires will always be a beautiful and necessary part of life. So try not to cling too hard to the outcome, enjoy the ride, and take it one step at a time.
Oh, and of course, have fun!!
