An Introduction To Lifestyle Design
I’m a little late to the party, but I’m lately obsessed with the idea of lifestyle design.
I’ve been catching bit and pieces of the movement for a while now and it turns out there is a whole group of awesome people out there blogging, teaching, living the principles of lifestyle design. I love reading about their lives and what they are doing with the idea of lifestyle design.
What exactly is lifestyle design?
Basically it is the idea that you can live an unconventional life that unlocks the lifestyle of the rich and retired even now while you are still working. It has been receiving lots of attention ever since Timothy Ferriss’ book The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
Tim Ferris defines it this way:
The New Rich (NR) are those who abandon the deferred-life plan and create luxury lifestyles in the present using the currency of the New Rich: time and mobility. This is an art and a science we will refer to as Lifestyle Design (LD).
Instead of chasing money, trying to become a millionaire by working and saving, people can instead aim to achieve the kind of millionaire lifestyle. Basically it is about trading in the drudgery of working a 9-to-5 for the things we think only money can buy including exciting experiences and exotic travel.
It’s a rebellious version of the “American” dream.
While Ferris advocates some radical ideas, the basic ideas of lifestyle design can be implemented by anyone. It is about examining your life and deciding if what you want from it matches up with what is happening. It’s thinking about the things you want to do and then planning to making them happen in whatever unconventional way you can think up.
It’s about choosing what you want your life to be instead of letting society decide for you.
Sounds cool, right?
Here is the thing: this is pretty much exactly what I’ve been thinking and living myself, just without the terminology.
I’ve always felt slightly bad about my decisions before now. I felt guilty that I didn’t get a full time job right out of school. I’ve struggled a bit financially but have been continually improving in that area without sacrificing my life to a desk. It is liberating to learn that I’m not alone in the kinds of decisions I’ve been making or the life I want to live. It’s freeing to know that I don’t have to work for anyone else if I don’t want to. If I work hard enough for myself things will work out. It will be hard work but I’m motivated by the thought that I can design my own lifestyle.
@Mike
Hippie? Really? C'mon Mike. The point isn't to not work. I HAVE A JOB. I plan on having other jobs. I work hard. The point is to choice work that makes me happy AND allows me to go where I want and do interesting things… not just sit behind a desk 80 hours a week so I can buy a house and retire. That's just not my goal.
Hi Mary –
Thanks for the shout-out!
"It’s about choosing what you want your life to be instead of letting society decide for you."
That definitely sums it up nicely! Keep in touch…Paul
@Paul
Thanks!
@Mike
Once again, really?
I agree with you mary. Speaking as someone who didn’t mean to end up in a cubicle job, but did, and has been here…its SUPER BORING. Not only that, but so boring, that its stressful. At the same time, I (and my friends) have sorta been doing what you’re describing, in that we usually end up putting fun first. People always say how when you grow up, you have to put away the fun, blah blah, but as long as you’re moderately responsible, then why not do what you like? No point in always working if you never get to enjoy yourself! So, for the traveling around and luxury part, how does one finance that without a boring steady full time job? THAT is the important question that maybe you could answer? I need help with that…
Exactly! Work sucks if you don't at least get time after to enjoy your life. Hmmm…. I've found people that seem to travel a lot have jobs they can do anywhere – they run a business, they write, build websites, or do computer work… a ton of different things really. I don't know how to answer it for you since I'm still figuring it out for myself, but you probably have some sort of skill that could be leveraged to create an income that isn't tied to a stationary full time job.
"Here is the thing: this is pretty much exactly what I’ve been thinking and living myself, just without the terminology." I was thinking the exact same thing as I read this post :)
It's the REAL way to live: enjoying every moment of it.
- Sagan
Awww Mary. I love you! I miss you tons when you travel, but if anything you are definitely not a hippie. You have great friends and I envy your opportunities to get out there and ENJOY life. Mike is a total tool.
I've been living this way for as long as I can remember. Of course, I've usually had a good 9-5 job to finance my fun, but I've been to 19 states, Germany and France and usually log no less than 30,000 miles on my truck each year.
I LOVE IT.
Last week I decided to do a Florida tour and visited Pensacola, Naples, Miami, Boca Raton, Cocoa Beach, Cape Canaveral and Gainesville over the course of 10 days. I did everything from moving a 9 ton granite sphere with one hand to get up close and personal with an alligator (three or so feet) to get a great photograph of it.
Did it break the bank? No. I think I spent more on souvenirs and t-shirts for those back home than the rest of the trip cost me!
[...] living the way I want [...]
I love the way you think about life.
Sometimes we are too confined in the same trend and situation. This will make us too short sighted and lack of idea of what is the world all about.
For me, although we do something that is totally different from others, it is not necessarily wrong.
Cheers!
So what lifestyle do you want Mary?
By the way love the outfit under About.. :)
@Jon
Hehe, the images are rotating constantly, but I'm going to guess you liked the dirndl one. It's fun.
The lifestyle I want is pretty much the one I have now, just better financed. I love the fact that I travel often and have the flexibility to take unusual opportunities. I would like to continue traveling, perhaps move abroad even, stay flexible in what I do for work and fun and work for myself as a freelance writer and blogger. Yep, that's basically the lifestyle I want. The big things at least. :)
Hy Mary, don't worry we're never too late to the party :D
Just wanted to say you have a very nice blog.
Cheers
Good for you, you should do what you wanna do.
Hey Mary,
Like Oscar said, you're not too late to the party. There's always room for one more. :)
"It’s freeing to know that I don’t have to work for anyone else if I don’t want to." <– Yes!
Karol
Yes, there's a whole community of like-minded thinkers out there!!! Come join! :) And don't feel bad about getting a full time job right out of school – probably the best decision you could have made :) Cheers!
Ash
http://www.themiddlefingerproject.org
[...] about whatever I want, I’ve mentally limited myself. I’ve gotten obsessed with the travel and lifestyle design crowd, so that’s all I want to write about there. I want to write about that and move up in [...]