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Follow These 3 Steps to Start Living Your Life by Design Not by Default

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Every single individual walking this earth is alive. But that doesn’t mean that you’re actually “living.” Living, in this context, refers to taking control of your life, creating a vision, creating goals, and then executing on those goals.

Not everyone does this, sadly enough. If you find yourself waking up every morning without a sense of direction and going through every day without aspirations to improve, you’re living by default. You’re not taking control of your life, but you’re letting life take control of you.

Now, if you live life with a purpose, chase your hearts desires, and wake up every day with a goal/plan in mind, you’re living by design. Design being that you’re creating your life to create the reality you wish to live in every day. It’s safe to say that you shouldn’t be living your life by default.

Follow these three steps, and your future self will thank you for it:

1. Wake up with a goal in mind

If you wake up without a goal in mind for the day, you’re better off remaining asleep. By starting your day off without a plan or a goal, you’re essentially just “winging it.” Winging it throughout your day is, in essence, letting whatever life has planned for you happen. You’re like a zombie just going with the flow.

This is living by default because you’re not designing your day. If you continue this bad habit, you’re going to find yourself wondering where time has gone a few years later. You’re then going to realize you didn’t create your reality, but instead let life have its way.

Many individuals who end up here have a habit of blaming the world and everything else around them for their mistakes, when the person to blame is the one staring back in the mirror. The point is, wake up with at least one goal in mind, if not multiple goals each and every day, and attack them.

“I’m always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up every morning… Every day I find something creative to do with my life.” – Miles Daves

2. Stop letting time be a determinant

The saying “time goes on with or without you” is the theme here. So many times we allow time to determine whether or not we should take action or pursue our dreams. Lots of millennials believe they’re too young for certain professions or to start a business, and older adults believe they’re too old to pursue old passions.

This is completely wrong and has been proven wrong time and time again. There are entrepreneurs in the world as young as 9 years old making a difference. There are also adults who are 65 years and older starting a business for the first time. Mind you, these are all things outside of the norm.

It’s never too early or too late to do anything. When I first started my business in college, I felt a sense of urgency to further grow it. My parents would always tell me “you have your whole life ahead of you, slow down.” I ignored them, of course. It doesn’t matter how much time you have left in your life. You should take control of your life and start creating your reality immediately and unapologetically.

3. Execute, execute, execute

This follows the last point. Once you stop letting time be a determinant and start creating your life, you have to execute. Simply creating the life you want in your mind and not executing on those goals aren’t enough. The world is full of individuals who have dreams, goals, and passions who never do anything about it. Once you visualize and know beyond a reasonable doubt, what you want your reality to reflect, begin attacking those goals, never give up, and never look back.

“Vision without execution is a daydream. Execution without vision is a nightmare.” – Japanese Proverb

It’s easy to live your life constantly putting off important tasks that will catapult you towards your dreams by falling into the normal routine. It all starts with a decision to design your life and make your reality a reflection of who you wish to be.

Wake up with a goal in mind, ignore the imaginary limitations society has made you believe, and execute. One day you’ll wake up to a life you’ve built, and not one that was given to you. I’m not saying this will be easy, but I am saying that it will be worth it.

Are you living your life by your own design or somebody else’s? Leave your thoughts below!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com

Brianna Bussell is the CEO of WebInsightCo.com, a marketing and web development company. She started her business in college, and began writing for many reputable entrepreneurs after publishing her own E-book "Creating Value in The Workplace". She also enjoys coaching millennials on how to become successful.

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Life

How Learning the Skill of Hope Can Change Everything

Hope isn’t wishful thinking. It’s a state of being and a skill that has profound evidence of helping people achieve success in life

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Hope as a skill
Image Credit: Midjourney

Hope isn’t wishful thinking. It’s a state of being and a skill that has profound evidence of helping people achieve success in life.

Wishful thinking, on the other hand, is like having dreams in the sky without a ladder to climb, having a destination without a map, or trying to operate a jet-engine airplane without instructions. It sounds nice but is impossible to realize. You don’t have what you need to make it happen!

What Real Hope Is

Real hope is actionable, practical, and realistic. Better yet, it’s feasible and can be learned.

One popular approach is Hope Theory. This concept is used by colleges to study how hope impacts students’ academic performance. Researchers found that students with high levels of hope achieve better grades and are more likely to graduate compared to those with less hope.

Hope can be broken down into two components:

  1. Pathways – The “how to” of hope. This is where people think of and establish plans for achieving their goals.
  2. Agency – The “I can” of hope. This is the belief that the person can accomplish their goals.

Does Hope Really Work?

According to Webster’s Dictionary, hope as a noun is defined as: “desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment.”

As humans, we are wired to crave fulfillment. We have the ability to envision it and, through hope, make it a reality.

My Experience with Hope

For 13 years, I was a hopeless human. During my time working at a luxury hotel as a front desk agent earning $11.42 per hour, I felt the sting of hopelessness the most.

The regret of feeling my time was being stolen from me lingered every time I clocked in. Eventually, I decided to do something about it.

I gave myself permission to hope for something better. I began establishing pathways to success and regained agency by learning from self-help books and seeking mentorship.

Because I took action toward something I desired, I now feel more hope and joy than I ever felt hopelessness. Hope changed me.

Hope Actually Improves Your Life

Wishful thinking doesn’t work, and false hope is equally ineffective. Real hope, however, is directly tied to success in all areas of life.

Studies show that hopeful people tend to:

  • Demonstrate better problem-solving skills
  • Cultivate healthier relationships
  • Maintain stronger motivation to achieve goals
  • Exhibit better work ethic
  • Have a positive outlook on life

These benefits can impact work life, family life, habit-building, mental health, physical health, and spiritual practice. Imagine how much better your life could be by applying real hope to all these areas.

How to Develop the Skill to Hope

As acclaimed French writer Jean Giono wrote in The Man Who Planted Trees:
“There are also times in life when a person has to rush off in pursuit of hopefulness.”

If you are at one of those times, here are ways to develop the skill to hope:

1. Dream Again

To cultivate hope, you need to believe in its possibility. Start by:

  • Reflecting on what you’re passionate about, your values, and what you want to achieve.
  • Writing your dreams down, sharing them with someone encouraging, or saying them out loud.
  • Creating a vision board to make your dreams feel more tangible.

Dreams are the foundation of hope—they give you something meaningful to aspire toward.

2. Create an Environment of Hope

  • Set Goals: Write down your goals and create a plan to achieve them.
  • Visualize Success: Use inspirational quotes, photos, or tools like dumbbells or canvases to remind yourself of your goals.
  • Build a Resource Library: Collect books, eBooks, or audiobooks about hope and success to inspire you.

An environment that fosters hope will keep you motivated, resilient, and focused.

3. Face the Challenges

Don’t avoid challenges—overcoming them builds confidence. Participating in challenging activities, like strategic games, can enhance your problem-solving skills and reinforce hope.

4. Commit to Wisdom

Seek wisdom from those who have achieved what you aspire to. Whether through books, blogs, or social media platforms, learn from their journeys. Wisdom provides the foundation for real, actionable hope.

5. Take Note of Small Wins

Reflecting on past victories can fuel your hope for the future. Ask yourself:

  • What challenges have I already overcome?
  • How did I feel when I succeeded?

By remembering those feelings of happiness, relief, or satisfaction, your brain will naturally adopt a more hopeful mindset.

Conclusion

Hope is more than wishful thinking—it’s a powerful skill that can transform your life. By dreaming again, creating a hopeful environment, facing challenges, seeking wisdom, and celebrating small wins, you can develop the real hope necessary for success in all aspects of life.

Let hope guide you toward a brighter, more fulfilling future.

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Life

The 5 Stages of a Quarter-Life Crisis & What You Can Do

A quarter-life crisis isn’t a sign you’ve lost your way; it’s a sign you’re fighting for a life that’s truly yours.

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what is a quarter life crisis
Image Credit: Midjourney

The quarter-life crisis is a well-defined set of stages—Trapped, Checking Out, Separation, Exploration, Rebuilding—one goes through in breaking free from feelings of meaninglessness, lack of fulfillment, and misalignment with purpose. I detail the stages and interweave my story below. (more…)

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Life

Here’s The Thing About Learning, Unlearning, and Relearning

Stop hoarding and start sharing your knowledge and wealth for the benefit of humankind

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sharing your knowledge
Image Credit: Midjourney

Few people have the habit of hoarding their wealth without spending.  However, it limits their motivation as they tend to get into their comfort zones.  When people start spending money, then there will be depletion in their coffers. (more…)

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Life

3 Steps That’ll Help You Take Back Control of Your Life Immediately

The key to finding “enough” is recognizing that the root of the problem is a question of self-esteem and deservedness

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How to build self worth
Image Credit: Midjourney

“It’s never enough.” (more…)

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