You started your own business or maybe you’ve just thought about starting your own business. The question is why? Why are you going to try starting a business or why did you start a business? It’s a lot of headache. Did you start it for the money? Or maybe the time? Or was it the freedom?
I am convinced that many people start their business for the freedom and the lifestyle. Well apparently that concept has a name it’s “Lifestyle Design”. I have had the opportunity to meet a great blogger named Corbett who writes the Free Pursuits blog and that is his passion and focus. Corbett goes into serious depth about Lifestyle Design and how to make your focus and life meet that goal. Obviously there are others who write about this topic, I just chose Corbett because I like his blog and have the opportunity to chat with him over the last couple of months.
The basic idea behind Lifestyle Design is to design your life around your desired lifestyle instead of the 8-5 schedule at a job. It says to not buy into the common wisdom that you have to have a job in order to make it. If you begin focusing your efforts on building that lifestyle you’ll find your desired opportunities to create that opportunity.
The definition of this will be different for each person. Do you want to travel the world and live in different countries, or maybe be able to take month long trip once a year, or maybe just make it to your kid’s sporting events. Whatever that goal is that is the foundation of your Lifestyle Design. I recently met with an entrepreneur/city councilman who said that he decided to leave his full time job when he realized that the job he had at the time didn’t fit into his top ten for life’s priorities. That is Lifestyle Design.
What are your goals? Not your retirement goals, your lifestyle goals? How do you want to live the majority of your life?
Be daring…be creative!
Jeremy
Jeremy Lattimore is the creative problem solving guru behind RefocusingTechnology.com and Borea Systems. Currently, he’s obsessed with business automation/efficiency and social networks. His question to you is: “How is your technology making you more efficient TODAY?”.
11 Comments
Good post. I’ve never heavily considered “designing” a life style around what I want my life style to be. I’ll have to give it a shot over the remaining summer break.
I am currently bootstrapping a company and my decision was partly a result of having had regular jobs for more than 10 years and feeling that I wanted change. In addition, I believe that I had and have a great idea for a business and if that turns out not to be true, I will at least be able to say to myself that I tried. If I hadn’t tried and someone else came along and did the same things and succeeded, I would have regretted not having tried.
The freedom to work my own hours, do different things and learn a lot is definitely a part of it. Now, I develop things without worrying about legacy systems, I design things and I do a little bit of marketing and sales as well. I regard myself as a sort of jack of all trades rather than a specialist and the startup world is in my opinion the best place for a generalist to thrive.
Is it lifestyle design? Yes, it definitely is, but not to the extreme of setting myself up for long vacations and more time to non-work. It’s the other kind where I work more than I otherwise would, but the hours are more flexible and I get to work full time on my pet project.
Very interesting, I never knew that the name behind that concept was lifestyle design.
I am currently in college and trying to start this concept young. I have always known I want to be an entrepreneur. If you find your passion young and start this lifestyle at a young age than you are very likely to succeed and enjoy life.
@Knut – I would agree with you that I am not the live in Bangkok and run a business kind of lifestyle design person. Really I just want to be able to enjoy my family and my time. It’s all about my time being my time. I do believe that is lifestyle design as well.
@Ryan – You’re right, start the concept young. It makes it much easier because you don’t have to unravel the all the stuff you created pursuing the other ideals. It’s very easy to put yourself in a situation over 5-10 years where it becomes very complicated to disconnect yourself in order to build your lifestyle. That is what many call the rut or the ratrace.
@Jeremy-Yea, it is very hard to get out of the rut. However if you really want to pursue something after you have already begun a certain lifestyle the only thing stopping you is yourself. If you are determined and remain positive you can still succeed.
@Ryan – Completely agree with that, it just makes the hill a little steeper. You can definitely do it. If you keep your focus you’ll get there. You have to keep your focus.
This blog post actually inspired me to write my own blog post about lifestyle design. Hop over to http://knuthellan.com/2009/06/19/lifestyle-design/ and read my extended thoughts on the subject.
@Ryan/@Jeremy – I agree that starting to focus on lifestyle design when you’ve lived corporate life for 10+ years is harder. I’m doing it, but it might feel to risky to some at this point. In the current economy however, you could argue that working in a corporation is more risky than doing something by yourself since you don’t know when or where layoffs may strike. If you’re on your own, you will know more about the economic future.
Nice post! Every single person on this earth should have some type of business. There are too many benefits that it can bring an individual. Lifestyle is definitely one of the reasons I am an entrepreneur, yet there are so many reasons.
Jeremy – thanks so much for the flattering compliments. I’m glad you’ve been affected by the lifestyle design conversation. It has the power to really change the way you think about working, doesn’t it? And you said it right: the definition of lifestyle design is different for each person. As long as you’re thinking about what’s important to you (and structuring your life around that), you’re on the right track. Thanks again, and keep the conversation going!
@Knut – I read and commented on you post. I definitely think that you’re on the right track (from my viewpoint anyway).
@Matt – I agree that people should start a business. Even if it’s just a hobby business. It gives you something of your own and something to work with should your full-time thing fail. Also, if things go well, you are probably “working” at something you really enjoy doing.
@Corbett – I am glad you stopped by. I hope that the people who have read this article went to your blog and read more. My viewpoint was really a very high-level personal summary of what your blog is about. It definitely does change your mindset to focus on lifestyle design. Great points on your blog and I enjoy reading about your journey through it while you are living in Mexico! Thanks for the interesting topic.
I enjoyed reading your comments about lifestyle design. Most great business coaches focus upon life style design to help entrepreneurs get the balance that will allow them to own their businesses rather than being owned by their businesses. You make a great contribution by sharing this concept.
Shallie Bey
Smarter Small Business Blog
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