This article is the second in a six-part series published each Friday bringing you on a journey of personal development with pragmatic tools you can use every day to design a better life.
All of us wish to live a good life. Your definition of life well-lived will differ to mine. It can swing like a pendulum between pleasure and purpose. It will change with experience and perspective. There is no right answer.
Each day we spend time in either default mode (in the passenger seat reacting to events) or in design mode (in the driver seat taking control). We make decisions to bring us closer to happiness or security. But if we don’t have a personal definition of contentedness, how do we make decisions?
Here is a truth we must accept. If we don’t decide, then we decide to let others decide.
Most people don’t ask the big questions because answers are hard to find. But the answers are not as important as asking the questions. Just like a planning is more important than the plan. Just like a goal is only important for the action that ensues.
Want to know what your future looks like? Look at what you’re doing today. Have you asked yourself these questions lately? This is your MAP and will guide everything you do.
- What is my Mission? What is it that drives me?
- What are the areas to which I want to invest Attention? What is my vision of happiness in each area?
- What are the Principles by which I will live, the promises I make to myself, based on my values and strengths?
The Life Canvas below helps you to design the life you want. If you find the prompts restricting then ditch them. It’s your life. Nothing is an obstacle. Lose yourself. Paint your canvas – and have fun doing it!
Your Life Vision
James Parnell is the founder of The Wellbeing Gym, which provides offline and online wellbeing, performance, productivity and life design programmes to individuals and corporates.
Twitter @TheWellbeingGym, Facebook @Thewellbeinggym (here).