“Lifestyle design” has been a hot topic for a number of years now. With advances in technology, the growing acceptance of “mobile workforces” and ROWEs, it really is becoming easier for people to carve out a unique lifestyle all their own (he writes, from a cave in Spain). Here are some of our favorite books on lifestyle design:
1. Perhaps no person is more synonymous with lifestyle design than Tim Ferriss, most well known for his aspirationally titled, The Four-hour Work Week. (This was also one of our first summaries, co-incidentally)
2. Chris Guillebeau has had some (well deserved) notoriety around his recently completed 193 country tour… His two books The Art of Nonconformity and The $100 Startup explore his own experience & practical tips on how to start creating your own deliberate life.
3. Pam Slim wrote a book recently called Body of Work. While not technically about “Lifestyle Design” (in the traditional sense of location, hours, income), Body of Work is a powerful reminder of the fact that what we do (and how we feel about it) is as important as where we do it.
4. Jonathan Fields is making quite a name for himself through his high-production value video interview series, Good Life Project. His first book, Career Renegade, was named a Top 10 Small Business Book by Small Business Trends and a Top 5 Summer Read by MSNBC.
5. How about a practical book on how to achieve your lifestyle goal, once you’ve set it? Check out Brian Tracy’s Flight Plan.
The idyllic notion of a house in the suburbs with the white picket fence is still attractive to some. For others, it’s a one room hut on the beach in Bali. Still more aspire to a nomadic lifestyle that takes them to new locations every few months. More and more, these concepts are moving out of the realm of fantasy and into the world of possibility. It ultimately comes down to choices. What you really want, vs what you think you want.
If you want it bad enough, you can create it. But it’s a proactive choice. No one asked Chris Guillebeau to travel to 193 countries. He just did it. In the words of Seth Godin, Chris chose himself. And you can too. It’s important, I think, to remind ourselves that there are no wrong answers. You don’t have to quit your job and move across the planet to create the life you want for yourself. You really just need to start by taking ownership of your life. Be proactive. Make something happen.
image credit: Lowes.com
