So many of us live most of our life by default. We enter jobs by default, find ourselves overloaded with too many tasks by default, and end up dealing with stress by default.  While we may have started with a plan for our life, we can be quickly swept away if we are not intentional and fully conscious to what is going on in our lives. If you are someone who wants to live by design, I welcome you to start today with this article and create a plan that will lay out your desires and priorities.  May it become a manifesto for your life and one that will help you stay focused on living by your own design rather than by the circumstance, happenstance, or the wishes of others.  The time is now.  Are you ready?

  1. How do you want to be remembered? Take a few moments to write how you will be remembered; then how you want to be remembered. Compare the answers to these two questions. How similar or different are they? Where might there be a gap?
  1. What matters most to you? List the six priorities that matter most to you. These are your guiding principles and can be used to weigh choices of time, energy, and other resources. Companies ensure they have guiding principles so that they can stay focused and prosper.  You also can use these principles. When difficult decisions come your way, you will be able to hold them up to the light of your guiding principles and see how they fall in or out of your life plan.
  1. How do you get from where you are to where you want to be? By investing in your life and incorporating the  practice of gratitude for what you have, keeping away from thoughts of lack, intentionally knowing what you want, planning, and making tough yet conscious decisions, you will move the dial toward your desired life.
  1. Create an account for each key relationship or priority in your life. These ‘life accounts’ each require our ‘deposits’ to keep them flourishing. They require our attention, patience, time, and often compete with each other for our attention. By listing them out we can ensure we have the balance we desire. Add a quote or mantra to each one that will help us stay focused.   (The concept of “life accounts” is inspired by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy’s book Living Forward , 2016. I recommend it to dive deeper into the subject of Life Planning.)
  1. Spend time Visioning. What will your life look like in five years? Take some time to propel yourself forward in your mind and write this vision as if it were a reality today.
  1. Examine fears, blocks and self-limiting beliefs. What holds you back from achieving your dream life? Once you have determined what that may be, determine what would empower you to break that block and life the life of your own design.  Develop a strong mantra around the key block or self-limiting belief to keep you focused on moving around that block to your desired life.
  1. Determine how you will re-energize. Make a point to list the ways in which you desire self-care. In order to live an inspired and desired life, you need to be mindful of your energy and how it is replenished. You alone are responsible for your self-care. Do not wait for others to provide restful opportunities for you. Most importantly, do not confuse self-care with selfish. Everyone needs to replenish energy through rest, recreation, special moments, favorite hobbies, time alone, etc.. If you aren’t sure how to relax, now is the perfect time to get in-tune with your optimal self-care.
  1. Determine where you need to set boundaries. Is there an area in your life you feel particularly resentful, vulnerable, or out of control?  This is usually an indication that some boundaries need to be set. Is there an area of your life that requires you to constantly reschedule or drop your own priorities to serve others? Examine where you  might make some positive changes to empower yourself to achieve the life you desire without getting thrown off track.
  1. Create a visual. If you are someone who enjoys a visual representation of your goals, turn your plan into a Vision Board or Mind Map and keep it somewhere you will see it every day.
  2. Start a journal to track your progress. This will help you keep balance as you contribute to all of your ‘life accounts’ and your priorities. Make sure you are noting what you are grateful for along the way. Note any areas of distress and make a “letting go” list to accompany your plan. We cannot keep accumulating without purging. Just as we clear out clutter in our homes, clear out clutter in your life. Ensure you put frustrations on the page to get them out of your head. Challenge negative thoughts by countering with a more positive thought. Write your intentions for life and keep them close to your head and heart.

There is no better time to ask yourself these questions than today.  Life is a beautiful gift to be valued and treasured. You are the creator of your life and should never be the victim of it. If you would like to learn more about living by design, contact us for our many seminars and workshops on this and other life topics.

Kim Perone, Certified Life Coach at The Center for Clarity, Compassion & Contentment serves clients with one-on-one and group coaching and can be reached via email or phone at [email protected], (518) 301-3593. For more information on life coaching and The Center’s activities, visit www.Center4c.com.