Your past is a gift you can use to determine your future. The clues your previous behaviors and results provide can be used to create the future of your dreams.

Now, let’s take a look at designing a life that will put a smile on your face when the alarm clock wakes you up each morning.

Before deciding that you’d like to a billionaire with a private jet and a set of 6-pack abs, determine the type of lifestyle you’d like to live. Your goals should support the life you’d like to live. Think about a perfect workday, weekend, and holiday. Ideally, your goals will help to make those a reality.

Determine the lifestyle you’d like to live:

1. How do you want to make money? With few exceptions, every adult needs to earn money to survive. The ways of earning money are only limited by your imagination.
   • Do you want to make money by being altruistic?
   • Do you want a corporate career?
   • Do you want to be creative?
   • Be a doctor? Astronaut? Real estate investor? Consultant?
   • Work with children?
   • Work with animals?
2. What working conditions do you prefer? Some people like to work in an office setting. Others like to work at home.

• Day/night?
• With others or alone?
• Required attire?
• Weekends?
• What time do you want to be home each evening?
• Are you willing to travel? Do you want to travel?
• Do you need your own office or is a loft-type setting preferable?

3. How are your finances? You don’t need a 7-figure salary to be happy, but it’s also not easy to be happy with a 4-figure salary. Are you able to maintain your budget? Do you even have a budget? How much debt do you have? Is your income acceptable? Is your money invested wisely for your situation? Will you be able to retire at a reasonable age?
4. Intimate relationships are important. Do you want to be married or single? Play the field or keep things monogamous? What do you need from a romantic partner? Consider the following characteristics a potential romantic partner might have.
   • Attractiveness
   • Career
   • Available free time
   • Sense of humor
   • Supportiveness
   • Tolerance
   • Health
   • Intelligence
   • Kindness
   • Interest in having children
   • And so on.
   • If you currently have a relationship, what is missing? What could be better? Are you satisfied with the relationship as it is?
5. Your free time affects your happiness and satisfaction. How much free time do you have each week? How much of it do you spend with your family? How much time do you spend on hobbies or with friends? How much time do you dedicate to spiritual activities and development?
   • Do you have enough free time and are you spending it wisely?
6. Avoid underestimating the value of good health. Is your diet acceptable? Are you getting enough sleep? Enough exercise? Do you visit your doctor regularly? How is your current health? What needs to be improved?
7. Do you meditate or pray regularly? Are you living life according to your beliefs? Are you aware of your beliefs? Do you regular study spiritual materials?
8. How is your social life? Do you get out of the house as much as you’d like and spend time with people outside of your immediate family? How many friends do you have? How many would you like to have?

If you’re aware of your desired lifestyle, choosing goals becomes easy. Give this careful consideration. There’s no reason to have a goal of being worth $500 million if your ideal lifestyle only requires $2 million.  Start with the end in mind and go from there.

Life is more enjoyable if you have a sense of balance. For example, if you’re obsessed with work, your health and family life are likely to suffer. The next lesson addresses this important topic.

Get Started on the Tips in This Lesson:

Take an evening and go through the process listed in this lesson. Notice if the life you designed matches what you previously thought you wanted for yourself.

Downloads:
I Am The Architect Of My Life