What is life design?
The first time I heard about Life Design was from an article I read published by Stanford. In fact, in 2016 is when this concept became more mainstream.
The Stanford Life Design Lab defines Life Design as, ‘ A multidisciplinary approach to intentionally create a fulfilling life aligned with core values and purpose.’
It’s choosing to live by design, not be default, to be in the driver seat of your own life, and be the hero of your story.
It’s not playing the victim, or neglecting responsibility, but assuming total ownership over your life.
It’s what I’ve been stumbling to create after 4 years down my own personal development road.
From life and business coaching, to performance coaching, and finally, I’ve arrived at this, Life Design. Why is this the one for me, because I believe that we should practice what we preach, and the exact systems I use lay the foundation for everything I do, and it starts with being a Life Designer, with continuously choosing what I do with my time and energy.
Here are 4 ways to become a Designer of your life today.
1 - Never play the victim card
One of the only ground rules of being a Life Designer is you don’t get to play the victim card. I don’t care how bad your situation was or is, there are people in worse places who have gotten out of it. No one is coming to save you, there’s no knight in shining armor. You want things to change, it’s up to you to make that change, and you cannot change something when you are a victim, because victims are always powerless.
2 - Audit your actions and your thoughts
We start to reinforce and believe what we think about all the time, and our actions are derived from our thoughts. Make sure that you are protecting your mind and your focus, and monitoring what kind of thoughts you’re having, and what kind of actions you are taking.
3 - Reinforce what your aim is
It’s always important to keep your goal at the forefront of your mind, when you wake up, what is it that you are working towards. Not only does that signal to your brain that your are living consciously and intentionally, it helps you frame situations in a way that helps you optimize for your goal.
4 - Monitor your behavior when no one is watching
When no one is watching, when’s it’s just you, what are you doing. Whether it’s road rage or littering, there are things we all do that we shouldn’t when no one is watching. Pay attention to those behaviors, because when no one’s judging you, the actions you take say a lot about who you are.
