Making a Living vs. Designing a Life
Are you making a living or are you living a life you’ve designed? What’s the real difference? Well, making a living is about survival. It’s making enough money to live an average life. It’s having a marriage that you can tolerate. It’s coasting through your career but not really living as a change agent. Simply put, it’s muddling by.
God wants us to join him in the gift of designing our lives. He invites us to not just survive in this world, but THRIVE. We thrive when recognize we have a purpose we were created for and talents that express that purpose through the intention of work. Work is a part of the design. Genesis 2:8-15 shows us God’s desire for humankind to live out our purpose through working.
Work that is life-giving.
Work that replenishes our souls.
Work that has meaning.
Work that goes beyond making a living but instead finds its roots in a life that’s designed on purpose. What will it take for you to love what you are doing?
Designing a life is about creation and choice. You consciously choose a life that’s tailored to your preferences. It might involve living in a mansion or living in a hut on a mountaintop. You might be married to your ideal partner or choose to live alone. Those who are merely “making a living” are living the life that society considers to be average or normal.
Those who design a life are choosing for themselves how they want to live and then making their BEST remarkable life happen.
Making a living is easy, but not very enjoyable. Designing a life is much more work, but also more satisfying. The choice is yours. Design the life you were meant to live through these 12 succinct steps:
- Create a picture of your ideal life. Section your life into six to eight major areas.
- Faith-spiritual growth
- Family
- Work
- Wellness/Health/Fitness
- Relationships
- Finances
- Recreation
- Personal growth
Compare the ideal with your reality. Identify any gaps. What will it take to bridge the gaps and design a better remarkable future?
- Get to know your inners. Gain a better internal sense of who you are and what you were made for. Learn to ask more questions. What is your dream life? Don’t be practical. Think about your ideal life in detail and write it down. Consider these questions:
- Where would you live?
- Who else would be there?
- What would your social circle look like?
- Describe your home.
- How would you spend your day and evening?
- What were you made to do in life?
- Examine your various roles and experiences in life. Look at your past and present roles. Seek to understand what fit and what doesn’t.
- What roles and responsibilities do you most enjoy?
- What roles are not a part of your ideal remarkable life?
- What can you delegate or outsource?
- When you list your experiences, what have you been prepared and trained to do in life?
- What have these experiences revealed about your destiny?
- Write a purpose/mission statement for your life. Companies have a mission statement. You should too. What will your life be about? Accumulating wealth, relationships, adventure, or making contributions? Decide the purpose of your life.
- Do more of what you love. Determine what motivates you.
- Seek feedback. Expect people around you to give you affirmation and feedback.
- What do those who know you say about what you do?
- How do they describe you to other people?
- Find a hero. Who is living the type of life that appeals to you? Maybe it’s someone from history. If it’s a current figure, follow them on social media, read their biography, and read their books. Learn everything you can about them. Spend time with them if possible.
- Determine the type of person you need to become. Do you need to make health, diet, and exercise a priority? Do you need to develop a high level of discipline? Did you need to become more sociable? More organized? Take more risks? Drink more tea? Think about the type of person that would have your dream life. You may need to make some adjustments to step in that dream.
- Decide what you’re willing to do. Are you willing to move? Write for an hour each night? Lose 50 pounds? Change careers? Start a business? Work on your marriage? Learn to speak Mandarin? Create a profile with a reputable online dating site? Consider everything your dream life will require for you to achieve and maintain it. What are you prepared to do?
- Decide what you’re willing to stop doing. Are you willing to give up drinking? Spending unnecessary money? Spending mindless time watching TV? Procrastinating? Being afraid? Avoiding tough conversations? There will be things you must stop doing if you want to change your life.
- Create a plan to get there. Without a plan, you only have a dream. A plan turns your dream into an objective. Create a viable plan and get started.
- Don’t give up. If your plan is sound all you need to do is hang in there until your dream becomes your reality. Be persistent and consistent.
Be courageous and choose the life you want to lead. Get going and design it! It’s easy to follow the herd and live like everyone else. You don’t share the same taste in food, clothing, or television shows as anyone else. Why should you live the same life?