So, you say you want to be a lifestyle designer… You will be joining a subculture of entrepreneurs determined to forge their own paths, master self-definition and live life today. It is a culture comprised of free souls, who understand that life is a game to be played; understanding the rules is paramount. Thousands of lifestyle designers have exited the 9-5, 30-year career and used their new-found freedom to travel the world, spend time with family, and discover/follow their passions. The dreams pursued differ greatly between individuals, but the basic foundation of beliefs remain the same. There are five basic rules that you must master before embarking on the transformational journey of lifestyle design.
Five Rules of Lifestyle Design
1. Live your dreams today.
Societal norms train us to believe that we must work hard today in order to enjoy tomorrow. If we sacrifice 30 years to a 40+ hour per week career, we will be rewarded with a luxurious retirement in which we can pursue our passions and live life on our own terms. There are fatal flaws within this logic, but the majority follows this path because it is the only road they have ever known.
There is one predominant law of nature that must be taken into account: life comes with an unknown expiration date. Lifestyle designers understand the urgency of now and are irrepressibly driven to make the most out of the present. To be a lifestyle designer, you must consciously choose to live your dreams today, knowing that tomorrow is never guaranteed.
2. Time is more valuable than money.
When working on a salary (or even within a wage) earnings potential becomes limited by time. If working full-time, take-home income usually amounts to a modest middle-class existence. The value derived from spending this income must be absorbed within the 17% of free-time that a typical career-bound employee “enjoys.” Even if the salary were a million dollars per year, an employee would be unable to enjoy his/her earnings without time.
The value of time is potential. When the amount of time worked no longer correlates to earnings potential, the lifestyle designer increases efficiency, productivity, and earnings. As a result, they have more free-time to enjoy a higher income. To be a lifestyle designer you must make decisions knowing that your time is more valuable than money.
3. Doing is better than having.
There is an age old myth that money buys happiness. If this were the case, a person’s bank account would determine their level of satisfaction within life. In reality, most people are too distracted by the pursuit money and material wealth to even begin looking for happiness. Some of the richest people in the world are the most miserable.
True happiness comes from experiencing life. If I were to give you the car of your dreams, then tell you that you couldn’t drive it, would you be happy? Didn’t think so. Driving the car of your dreams brings much more happiness than merely owning the car of your dreams. The experience of driving the car of your dreams can also be much less expensive and a lot easier to accomplish. You will be amazed by what you can do when you eliminate the need to have. To be a lifestyle designer you must seek happiness through doing, not having.
4. Bigger is better, and often easier.
The word impossible is thrown around irresponsibly. The majority of people avoid reaching for greatness due to a lack of self-confidence, lack of direction, and reinforced habits. These mental barriers guide them towards pursuing “reasonable” goals. The end result is “reasonable” satisfaction within life.
While the majority of people are competing for “reasonable” goals, the lifestyle designer leverages the lack of competition to accomplish the “impossible.” Big goals are not any different than small goals. By identifying measurable milestones, they can be broken down into actionable steps and streamlined. To be a lifestyle designer you need to dream big and make it happen.
5. Do less to achieve more.
Traditional western thought values hard work. The majority of people believe that hard work is the only way to achieve results. People work countless hours in order to cover all of the bases. Every penny counts and is valued the same.
The truth is that every penny is not valued the same. Some results require more work than others. Lifestyle Designers focus their time and energy into identifying and automating the tasks that offer the greatest results. Tasks that offer lesser results are often put on the back burner or eliminated all together. To be a lifestyle designer you must be able to identify and focus on the tasks that allow you to achieve more by doing less.
Guidance In Your Tranformation
By mastering these five rules of lifestyle design, you will have the foundation that will guide you towards living your life, freeing your time, finding happiness through experiences, accomplishing the impossible, and doing it all in a fashion that offers the greatest results with the least amount of effort. Keep reading for further guidance in your transformation into a lifestyle design. The world is yours. Live now.
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions that will help the community, please let us know by posting a comment.
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