Lifestyle Design is one hot topic. Tim Ferris illuminated it in his book, “The 4-Hour Workweek.” He illustrates what your life can be once you take ownership of exactly how you live your life.
Lifestyle Design is the conscious act of putting yourself in the driver’s seat as the designer of your destiny. Lifestyle Design allows you to dream big. Step one is asking yourself, “what do I want to achieve, become, believe, see, or even wear in my future?” Step two is to carve out a new lifestyle to help you achieve your goals in a way that feels authentic and empowering to you.
There are 5 types of Lifestyle Designers. Which one are you?
Gurus-Abound – You aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel. You know that there have been many philosophers, authors, and change agents over the years that have done the deep digging for you. Now, it’s your choice to find the right path for you. Your bedside table looks like the self-improvement or philosophy section of Barnes & Noble, your smart phone is packed with podcasts from all the latest thought leaders and your email inbox greets you daily with the wit and wisdom of women who have lit the world on fire. Being plugged into these powerful voices that speak the most to you to will help you discover your unique path in life.
Fitness-Focused – Most days begin with lacing up your sneakers and hitting the pavement, gym, or Crossfit box. Your definition of Lifestyle Design is all about movement. Mornings are officially in flow with your post workout smoothie, afternoons include a kale and kombucha filled lunch and in the evening you can be found at yoga, Barre, or hiking the hills before bed. Fitness and healthy living are your main focus, knowing that you can’t help anyone before taking care of yourself.
Systems-Savvy – There’s got to be an app for that. You’ve got an app to track your steps, monthly cycle, count calories, read books, and integrate your whole written world in Evernote. Systems make the world go round and for you, systems keep your flow well, flowing. You relish in sitting down with your planner on a Sunday night to map out the week ahead and when you really want to be decadent you bust out the markers to color code your time for fitness, work, family, and self-care time. Your mantra is, “Life is full and best enjoyed when organized.”
Spiritually-Driven – If you could have dinner with just one person dead or alive it would be…Deepak Chopra, no wait, Gandhi. Oh well, what about Jesus? Okay, I’m going to need to host a dinner party for all my spiritual gurus. Starting and ending each day with meditation feels good for you. You’ve got mala beads, rosary beads, and singing bowls. You’ve got at least one shaman on speed dial and the year doesn’t feel complete without least one (or two) spiritual journeys. With an altar in your bedroom filled with your favorite things, you’ve finally found yourself and frankly, really enjoy your own company.
The-Road-Less-Traveler – Give me the road less traveled. The less footprints, the better. The more ambiguous and unknown, even better. No one said you’re the black sheep…more like the purple, green, and pink tie-dyed one. There’s nothing more that calls to you than a backpack, passport, and absolutely no itinerary. You want to discover, explore, and define your own road head. It feels good for you to have to our conversations with a random stranger (who inevitably sends you a Christmas card every year since the encounter.) You collect experiences, memories, and friendships like priceless souvenirs (and you like it that way, thank you very much.)
The truth about Lifestyle Design is that there isn’t a “one size fits all” approach. Lifestyle Design is about living life on your own terms. You get to charge about the path that feels most authentic to you. What’s comforting to know, is that as you answer the call of your passions, you’re in good company with the many inspired (and inspirational) women you will meet along your journey.
