Jeff Olson – author of The Slight Edge – says ‘life is a curved construction, time is the builder, choice is the master architect’. What an inspiring idea, right? But if you’re not currently leading your best life, how do you go about changing that? Here are the five top tips to becoming your own architect and designing the perfect life.
1. Assess your current lifestyle and determine your priorities
What’s your work/life balance like? Are you constantly putting in the hard yards and working 50-60 hours a week? Do you find yourself replying to emails late at night and frantically reaching for your phone first thing in the morning? Often, we work so hard to achieve our desired lifestyle that we don’t actually have time to stop and enjoy it. It’s great to work hard for success, but if you can’t enjoy that success at the end of the day, you should reassess your situation. What are your priorities? A big paycheck or more time for leisure and family? Whatever it is, think about what you can to do to achieve that. Perhaps you can cut back your hours at work, or organise to spend a day working remotely from home. Even something as simple as switching off all devices from the hours of 9pm to 7am can relive some of that pressure.
2. Make a blueprint for your goals
Do you want to live comfortably and have enough spare time to do the things you love? Or are you a workaholic who wants success and isn’t bothered by a large workload? Sketch out your dream life in as much detail as possible. Ask yourself questions like what your career goals are, where you see yourself in 10 or 15 years, what does your dream house look like, and what your ideal work day would require. A well-rounded life plan should support all aspects of well-being, from physical and emotional to financial and professional.
3. Think about your obstacles
You’ve imagined a day in your perfect life. Now you need to consider all the practical steps involved with getting there. What obstacles are currently in the way? Quitting a job you don’t enjoy? Relocating somewhere else? Ridding yourself of credit card debt? Whatever the obstacle might be, recognising it is the first step to overcoming it and creating a clearer path to success.
4. Constantly remind yourself of your dreams and aspirations, and set goals to achieve them
You know that blueprint you created before? Pin that up on your wall in your bedroom, or your desk at work, or even set it as your computer background. Surround yourself with your dream so you’re reminded of what you’re working so hard to achieve. Remember that hard work will eventually lead to success, and if you can keep that end goal in mind, it will make a difficult present feel much more bearable. Setting small, specific goals towards your dream life is the most effective way to achieve it. So, instead of just saying, ‘I’m going to pay off my credit card debt’, make a promise to take $30 dollars from each paycheck and put it towards paying off your debt.
5. Surround yourself with success and support
If you have people around you who aren’t supportive of your dreams and ideas, you’ll find it all the more difficult to achieve them. So, make sure you’ve got a support network who wants to see you succeed and achieve what you’ve set out to do. Celebrate your wins with them, and use their love and encouragement as motivation to continue building your dream life.
Author: Ronsley Vaz
Ronsley is the founder & chief day dreamer at AMPLIFY. He is an author, speaker & serial entrepreneur.
He has a Masters’ degree in Software Engineering and an MBA in Psychology and Leadership. He is known as the creator of We Are Podcast – the first Podcasting Conference in the Southern Hemisphere, and the host of The Bond Appetit Podcast and Should I Start a Podcast. He has an audience of over 3 million in 133 countries.