Are you currently living the life that you’ve always envisioned for yourself?
If you are, congrats! I’m very interested in conducting an interview with you about your process.
If you aren’t already, you can transform yourself into the architect of your own life.
The concept of lifestyle design centers on the idea of living one’s life with intent and working in a manner that is congruent with that purpose. There will be a point when you feel like you are trapped in the monotony of your lifestyle, with the same old mind-numbing habits that blend one day into the next. You look forward to each sunrise with apathy, unable to work up any enthusiasm or inspiration for the day.
It doesn’t matter if you’re feeling dull because of your lifestyle or because you have high-functioning depression; the sensation is the same. You are suffering from a severe case of the “blahs,” and you have no idea how to treat or alleviate them.
My Explanation of the Term “Lifestyle”
I use the term “lifestyle” to refer to how you decide to explore your life.
It refers to the recurring pattern of behaviors that determines how you utilize your time, effort, and money. These routines include how you work, play, learn, re-energize yourself, spend time with others and interact with life in general.
The following are a few examples of lifestyle choices that are common among people in today’s society premised on how they make their living:
- 9 to 5
- Corporate
- Military
- Performer
- Full-time parent
- Self-employed
- Political figure
- Businessman
- Spiritual profession
- Government worker
- Educator
- Advocate
- Researcher
- Freelancer
- Healthcare professional
- Programmer
- Union employee
- Hourly-wage employee
- Farmer
- Traveler
- Truck driver
A large percentage of those occupations restrict your ability to choose how to spend the bulk of your time, limit your chances of becoming financially independent, and compel you to work by a standard of work that is generally accepted.
It is entirely up to you whether or not you want to improve your lifestyle in terms of both the amount of time and money you spend and the mode in which you travel to and from work.
These ways of life indeed give you the freedom to choose your occupation, the location of your place of employment and residence, the food you eat, the people you associate with, and how you spend your leisure time.
Work will consume a disproportionate amount of your time compared to other aspects of your life. Whether you like it or not, the path you choose for your career will have an impact on how you spend the rest of your life.
Imagine being able to make every choice in your life and having full control over every facet of your life. I am aware that for some people, the thought of that is frightening, but that is exactly what lifestyle design is all about.
What Exactly Does Lifestyle Design Entail?
I like to believe that lifestyle design is the practice of living each aspect of one’s life with intent by surviving in full synchronization with your purpose, value systems, motivating factors, skills, and needs.
In my opinion, lifestyle design refers to the practice of leading a self-directed life. It’s up to you to create your routine for each day. Work must be done according to your standards. It’s about creating a lifestyle that revolves around doing work that has more meaning to you.
I am aware that the majority of people consider “lifestyle design” to be a strategy for minimizing the amount of time spent working to increase the amount of time spent relaxing. I disagree with this statement. Workaholism is something I do not support, but neither do I support the idea that I should spend the rest of my life lounging on a beach.
The art of designing a lifestyle involves striking a balance between doing purposeful work and giving yourself time to recharge. The tension that exists between the use of energy and its replenishment is the driving force behind everything that happens in life.
It’s Time to Give Your Way of Life a Makeover
There is a good chance that your way of life developed without any planning or conscious thought. When you were a kid, your decisions didn’t require much thought because they were almost always made for you. In addition to that, the freshness of life glowed with a vibrant sense of anticipation. Every day was a daring adventure full of surprises and new experiences.
Even when you were a young adult, there were good reasons for you to be enthusiastic. It’s possible that you recently started a brand-new job or school, relocated to a new community, or you were in the honeymoon phase of a new romantic relationship. In any event, you hadn’t developed any sort of routine or fallen into any sort of pattern that was repetitive. You didn’t have to put in any effort to ensure that your lifestyle remained interesting. “Newness” served to keep everything in its proper place.
Being Bored is A Trigger for Lifestyle design
While being familiar with something can be soothing, it can also lead to complacency. Even the most stimulating work can become boring after enough of it is done over and over again.
Consider the experience of boredom to be a stimulus for introspection. If you are experiencing boredom, there is a good chance that you are passively responding to frustration. You scroll mindlessly or passively consume media rather than pushing yourself to actively explore innovative solutions to the boredom you’re experiencing.
By dissociating from the source of your frustration rather than fighting it, you can train your brain to become less reactive to it. Frustration that is not properly addressed will, in due time, morph into repression, which will deplete your reserves of energy and strip your life of its vitality. The inability to have optimism about one’s future can also rob one of the joys of living in the present.
Putting a New Spin on Your Way of Life
It is not necessary to give up your job, relocate to a different area, or sever all of your relationships to get started on the path to resetting your lifestyle. These sorts of adjustments are frequently superficial because they commonly fail to resolve fundamental psychological problems.
Changing your surroundings might make you feel refreshed, but you’re likely to follow the very same sentimental script no matter what. In the end, your unremarkable way of life will follow you everywhere you go; different settings, the same result.
Your Brand-new Way of Life
During your childhood, your parents were completely responsible for deciding how you should live your life. When you’re an adult, everything is under your control. Simply waiting and holding out hope won’t get the job done. When it comes to updating your way of life, you cannot take a passive approach; instead, you will get out of your way.
To get you moving in the right direction, here are three easy actions you can take right now:
Change
No matter how incremental, is a precondition for development, so shake up your routine. A shift in your routine can serve as a gentle jolt to your awareness if you give it the chance. Change the way you get to work, switch up the music you listen to, and set a goal for yourself to try something brand-new every day or at least twice a week. These relatively minor adjustments will cause you to exhibit new responses and will set things in motion in the proper direction.
Discovering New Interests
This is one of the best ways to make up for the loss of the sense of wonder that comes with entering adulthood. That puts the onus of discovering new pursuits and interests squarely on your shoulders. Consider enrolling in a writing group, beginning a new workout regimen, or taking a dance class. Whatever you do, pick something that no one else has. You won’t feel frustrated with your lifestyle nearly as often if you continue to challenge yourself by traveling, making new friends, and discovering new things.
Establish a Regular Practice of Mindfulness
The primary objective of engaging in mindfulness meditation is to draw attention to the aspects of one’s character that are tainting one’s perspective. For instance, if you constantly complain about things, it will feel like nothing you do has any significance. You will gain the ability to make new choices when you give yourself a chance to think about the subconscious mind choices that have shaped your perspective. Many different types of mindfulness practices are available.