I first read the term “lifestyle design” in 2007 while reading Tim Ferris‘ book, The 4-Hour Work Week. Tim Ferris introduced me to at least two powerful things I hadn’t known before: lifestyle design and virtual assistants. Both are powerful. Ferris, on many levels, is quite brilliant.
Don Miller‘s book, A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, is another book that intrigued me. It made quite an impact last year as people embraced the metaphor Miller put forth. Life is a story. If you’re unsatisfied with your life, craft a better story. Live a better story.
Saturday I was doing some work in The Yellow Studio. I turned on the TV to serve as background noise while I worked. I’m fond of Discovery, The History Channel and The National Geographic Channel. It happens that my set was tuned to The National Geographic Channel. The show? Locked Up Abroad. I’d never seen this show, but it was a marathon for this series on Saturday. As I worked, the channel remained on this show. Ten or more episodes, each an hour-long, appeared as I was in and out of the studio working.
Ferris proposed – and I agree with him even though I never had a label for it – that we construct our lives with intention. That we design the life we want. I began to consider Miller’s premise that our lives are a story and it’s up to us to write one that is more interesting. I thought of each episode of this TV show – a compelling show. Interesting stories. Riveting.
As a man in search of an epiphany, I was blessed with one. Okay, I admit it wasn’t really new to me. I admit that I’ve felt this way for quite some time. You may not agree with me, but that’s okay. Maybe that makes things more interesting.
