Living Life by Design
Three years ago, as I was approaching retirement from a teaching career, I found myself signed up for a program that has radically changed my life and given it new meaning. I have always been drawn to retreats and courses on spiritual growth and I have a library of self help books in my home. I love them and have learned a lot from them. But this was not one of those courses that you take, get inspired by and then go back to the old way of being. I had taken so many of those. Courses that filled me with exciting and interesting ideas but somehow those ideas rarely infiltrated my life. Life Design is different. It is not a course, it is a way of life. It is a guided step by step process taken with a coach that provides direction and support as people begin to intentionally design the life of their dreams. For many of us we live a default life, a life that we have somehow walked into based on a context and culture that we didn’t necessarily choose but was the one we were in. This context is determined by behaviors and norms that we take on throughout our lives from a variety of forces outside us. Nowhere in our public education system are people encouraged to dig deep and determine their own personal beliefs, values and dreams and then guided through a process to fulfill them. We are taught that success is about what you are doing in life, Life Design is about how we are being in life while doing what we love. I hope to bring these essential tools into schools so that our young people can learn how to build lives that have meaning and bring happiness, lives that are intentionally designed by themselves based on what they desire, rather than based on the values and dictates of the outside forces of a society that, at times, seems not to support their personal liberty nor the pursuit of their dreams.
After going through the program myself I felt a new sense of purpose and empowerment. It isn’t that I wasn’t already content with my life. I was happy with my work as a math coach and content with my family life. But, after beginning to live a more intentionally designed life, I really began to believe and feel that just about anything is possible, big things, that previously only existed in my imagination. Almost everything in my life has changed. My home is devoid of clutter and it’s organized, I am doing things that I have always wanted to do but never quite “got around to”, my relationships have no conflicts, most of the time I feel a profound sense of calm and if something disturbs my sense of calm I know what to do. For me, this work has brought me to a clearer understanding of my purpose in life and the conviction that I am fulfilling it. My purpose is to grow into the best version of myself I can be, a purpose that will not be fulfilled until the day I die. I will thrive and be happy if I am being the best I can be in each moment while doing the work that I love.
Towards the end of my last year as a teacher I began training to become a Life Design coach myself. I love this new work. Not only does it keep me on the path towards fulfilling my mission in life, I also have the honor of guiding and witnessing others as they realize their dreams and live their lives by design. There is great satisfaction and joy in sharing this journey with others. I believe that the world is in need of healing, and that the way to realize that healing is through the transformation of consciousness. I also firmly believe that Life Design is one of the most valuable tools to aid in that transformation. For that reason I am excited to share it with the world!
