Lifestyle Design Process Overview

Top10I want to share with you my Ten Pillars of Lifestyle Design, to help you achieve your dreams and create more freedom and fulfillment in your life and work.

Here’s a brief overview of the Ten Pillars:

We’ll take a closer look at each one of these Ten Pillars of Lifestyle Design over the next several days.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about Lifestyle Design, or any thoughts or comments from what you’ve read so far, please let me know!

Lifestyle Design is for Everyone!

I believe everyone…teens, young adults, college graduates, newlywed couples, families, empty-nesters, retirees…everyone can take steps today to live their dream life!

Here’s the thing…

You and I now live in a time of unprecedented opportunity – Not just in America, but all over the world – to live the lifestyle we want, to do the work we love, and to make a difference in causes we care about.

But looking at just America for a moment…70 years ago, the American dream was to find a good job and work it your whole life.  You could buy a home, raise your family, and retire with a nice pension.  You took care of the company for 45 years and then when you retired, they took care of you.

My friend, you and I both know that those days are long gone. You can’t rely on others to make life happen for you.  You’ve got to make it happen.

Today, you don’t have to be limited to the job you can walk to.  We can now work where we want and live where we want – or even live and work at home – thanks to the Internet, cell phones, cars and airplanes.

You don’t have to do the job you went to school for.  Now you can do the work you love! Today,you can easily learn new skills today through formal or informal education.

You don’t have to work in a job based on what you can do…you can work a job based on what you know.  Information, or knowledge, is king in today’s economy.

You don’t have to organize your life around your work.  Now you can organize our work around the lifestyle you want!

And with today’s tough economic climate, there has never been a better or more important time to make the decision to live the life you want and do the work you love.

There are no guarantees any more.  You’ve got to take charge of your life and career because no one else will do it for you!

If you’re not living your dreams you’re living someone elses.

Lifestyle Design Explained

I’m writing on the topic of Lifestyle Design because I’ve met way too many people in this world who live unfulfilled lives.  They’ve mostly let life happen to them instead of making life happen for them.

Henry David Thoreau said that most people “live lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”

Maybe you’ve met them too, people who…

  • Have given up on the hopes and dreams they had as children
  • Just accept what comes their way as their lot in life, never realizing they can do something to change their situation
  • Are living on “defense” all the time, reacting to what comes their way, instead of going on offense and making things happen the way they want.
  • Have no idea what they’ve been put on earth for.
  • Feel trapped in a job they hate.  They believe they’ll never get paid to do a job they love.
  • Have a home and family life that isn’t quite what they had expected it to be.
  • Have it all but it doesn’t seem to be enough…there must be something missing.

You probably know people who fit this description.  You may even be one of them!

Part of the problem is that most people live life on autopilot.  They just accept whatever comes their way as their lot in life.  They don’t think there’s anything they can do…any steps they can take…to bring change into their lives.

I believe everyone has the ability to discover their passions, identify their calling or purpose in life, live their dreams, and do the work they love.

The process that gets you there is what I call Lifestyle Design.  Others have called it life planning, life design, work-life balance, living on purpose, or enlightened self-management.

We’ll get into the “how-to’s” of Lifestyle Design in future posts.

Spirituality & Faith

Today is Sunday, and I’ve decided to borrow an idea from a friend who writes a great blog on personal finance called Free Money Finance.  On Sundays, he writes about “Money & the Bible”.  So I’ve decided that on Sundays I’ll write on “Spirituality & Faith.”

I’m doing it for a number of reasons:

  • It’s a part of my life.  In this blog I’m sharing my journey of how I’m achieving my dreams and finding greater meaning, purpose and fulfillment in my life and work – and how you can too.   My lifestyle design process has been greatly influenced by the Bible, so I’ll share with you what I’ve learned from that perspective.
  • It’s a bit of a different change of pace.  It seems to fit for Sundays.  The rest of the week, we’ll talk about what you want to get out of life and how you can take steps now to achieve your dreams.  On Sundays, we’ll switch gears a bit and talk about “bigger picture” ideas.
  • Some people really enjoy the subject.  I think most people believe there’s more to life than just living for themselves.  People want to know they’re making a difference, that they’re living the life they were meant to live.  We’ll take a look at what the Bible says about this.
  • All of us are spiritual people – one way or another.  It is a part of our lives.  And as such, it makes sense to discuss it since we’ll be talking about how to be balanced in all aspects of life. I think the intersection of one’s faith and their life’s purpose is an interesting one and I enjoy exploring it.  I also like hearing other people’s perspectives on how they integrate their faith into their life and work.

If you don’t care to read posts on “Spirituality & Faith,” that’s OK.  You don’t have to read them.  🙂

But if you do, feel free to share your comments and ideas.  And let’s all agree to respect each other and not belittle another’s views if they differ from ours.

Life Compass – Why Listen to Me?

If you’ve been reading along so far, you know:

This site is here to help you Achieve Your Dreams and Find Greater Freedom, Purpose and Fulfillment in Your Life and Work!

So, who am I?  And why do I think I have something to say about this topic?

I’m glad you asked!  Well…

  • I’ve been mentored for over twelve years by some very successful, wealthy and influential people who have taught me much of what I’ll be sharing with you.
  • They helped me unlock some of the secrets of how to accelerate the achievement of my goals and dreams.
  • I’ve had several “dream jobs” in my life.  In fact, several of them were created just for me.
  • Others seek me out as a coach, counselor and advisor on spiritual, career, financial, life purpose and other issues.
  • I’ve made lots of mistakes in my life and have learned from them.
  • I’ve taught workshops and classes on spiritual, career, financial, life purpose and other issues.
  • I believe I have an obligation to give back and to share with others what I’ve been learning and implementing in my own life.
  • I love helping others achieve their dreams and live to their full potential.

Perhaps the best reason I can give you for why you might want to read what I’m writing is this:  I’m currently living the lifestyle I want which fulfills many of my dreams, including:

  • The ability to do the work I love in the way that best suits my lifestyle goals at this time.
  • Greater balance in my life and more meaningful family time with my wife and five (yes, five) children.
  • The freedom to travel across the U.S. and the globe both for fun and for humanitarian and charitable causes I care about that are making a real difference in the world.
  • The freedom to pursue my mission in life which is to help others live the life of their dreams and create more freedom and fulfillment in their life and work.

The tips, strategies and techniques I’ve learned (and am still learning) can be used by anyone!  That’s what I’ll be sharing here at Life Compass.

Now, you can decide if you want to read on.  I hope you do.

Life Compass – Why This Site Exists

As I said in the last post, this site is here to help you Achieve Your Dreams and Create More Freedom and Fulfillment in Your Life and Work.

This site is for anyone who…

  • Wants to get more out of life
  • Wants to accelerate the achievement of their dreams
  • Feels trapped in a job they hate
  • Has lost hope that they’ll ever “make it”
  • Wants to break free from past mistakes
  • Realizes there’s more to life than money
  • Realizes that money does help
  • Is looking for more balance in their life
  • Feels like they have little control over their life
  • Wants to find more freedom, purpose and fulfillment in their life and work
  • Would like to find the work they were meant to do
  • Wants to start their own business
  • Wants to “win” at home (with spouse/children) and at work
  • Wants to leave a legacy
  • Wants to discover and fulfill their life’s purpose
  • Wants to make a difference in the lives of others

It doesn’t matter what age you start…whether you’re 16 or 61…Today is a great day to begin to live the life of your dreams.

It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor.  You could be a college student hoping you do it right from the get-go, or a Baby Boomer who has paid a little “stupid tax”, as Dave Ramsey says, and is living with mistakes from the past.

Maybe you’re a executive who has made all the money you need…and are still wondering if there’s more to life.

Maybe you’re looking to make some big changes in your life.  Or maybe you just want to get a little better and go a little deeper.  Maybe you’ve tried this all before and failed to stick with it.

Whoever you are and whatever your goals, I’m glad you’re here!  Tomorrow I’ll tell you why I’m here.