LifestyleDesignUnleashed

photo credit: fuzzcat

Looking at the keywords that people have found this site through recently I was interested to discover a number of searches for phrases related to quitting lifestyle design. I find this somewhat ironic as so many people are just getting started on the journey but all the same the question begs some serious thought.

We can define lifestyle design as the process of creating a lifestyle that you love. Where you earn money either residually thus freeing you up to do other things, or by working on things you really feel passionately about. Or ideally both.

You feel contented and satisfied with life with the right balance between excitement and security. You don’t long for the day to be over but instead relish every minute and are shocked how quickly each day has passed.

When we think in those terms many of us have ideas as to what that lifestyle will look like to us. And of course our vision is an essential roadmap helping us to make the necessary changes in our lifestyle.

So what about quitting lifestyle design? I can think of only two real reasons to consider quitting and they are that either you are giving up for whatever reason (any why would you ever *deliberately* stop aiming for a better, more fulfilling life?) or when you finally achieve that ultimate goal.

And yet even the ultimate goal is likely to shift over time. Your opinions, values and experiences will change and with them so will you, making lifestyle design a pursuit more like Buddhism where really it is the journey more than the destination that counts.

Some might argue then that lifestyle design is somewhat pointless; why put considerable time and effort into creating your perfect day, everyday, only to find that “perfection” is a moving target.

The simple fact of the matter is that one of the main goals of lifestyle design is freedom. Freedom to work when you want, on what you want. Freedom to travel. Freedom to indulge your passions and freedom to control what you do, when and with whom.

And this concept of freedom is interesting for two reasons. Firstly freedom is a recurring theme in most people’s lifestyle design plans no matter what the other elements. And it’s this same freedom which *enables* you to make extra changes.

Let’s say your goal is to earn a fulltime living online working only a few hours a week so you can go travelling the world. You achieve that goal and have the time of your life but after a year or two you start to miss having goals to achieve. Life is drifting along effortlessly and you need some extra goal to aim for.

So maybe you decide to spend six months volunteering for a company or charity whose work is meaningful to you. Most people couldn’t do that because six months without wages simply wouldn’t be possible. Except you already achieved your first goals so you *can* afford to do it. Because you’re earning money from your lifestyle business.

If it weren’t for hitting your first goals – and then having ther freedom of time and money to look at life from a different angle – not only might you never have seen your “calling” but quite possibly you wouldn’t have been able to afford it either.

So in this way lifestyle design builds on itself. Like working out at the gym you get “stronger” over time and so increasing the weight you can lift gets easier and easier.

So when do you quit lifestyle design? Never really. You will hopefully reach points where you are perfectly contented for the time being and when this happens just enjoy it and be in the moment. But if your aims and goals change along the path don’t be afraid to make more changes in the search for the ultimate lifestyle.

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