Let me ask you a question…

As you sit here today what does your ‘ideal life’ look like?

It’s interesting when you get the ‘standard’ answer…

“I want not to work, I want a big house, a flashy car and be consistently on holiday!”

You see the ‘standard answer’ tells me one thing…

The person answering the question is giving me “the marketers dream”

You see most of us have acquired these aspirations from what they’ve been told they should aim for. These aspirations usually promoted by really clever marketers who (as well as surprise, surprise had something to sell) had the opportunity to, through the medium of our telly-boxes and now through the t’internet, to tell us what we should want for years!

The power of that little box (although now it’s more a flat-ish rectangle) in our living rooms in conveying information shouldn’t be underestimated and this information sticks with you….

It’s been 25 years since the last time I saw ‘Fraggle Rock’, or Knight Rider, or The A team (and about 20 years since I saw the Fresh Prince of Belair) but the theme tunes for each of these shows remains so fresh in my mind I could recite all of them word for word!

There’s nothing wrong with being aspirational. Wanting to drive our lives forward by trying to ‘do better’ for ourselves and our families is truly commendable.

However if we don’t take time to really truly understand what kind of life we want surely we’re just living someone else’s dream? or even worse a dream we’ve been told to believe just to sell us more ‘stuff’?

I firmly believe that the purpose of all our lives are to live happy, satisfied existences.

To fill our lives with the sort of experiences you’ll always remember.

To laugh.

To be generous.

To treat but also challenge ourselves.

To work hard and achieve in whatever way you believe possible.

To pass on our values to our children so they can live happy, healthy and satisfying lives.

To surround ourselves with people we love.

To always be questioning and learning.

and

To be truly intentional in attempting to do all of these things.

I also believe that most of us wouldn’t disagree with most if not all of the things on this list.

However this also generates an issue…

We all view life through our own specific lens.

My idea of a ‘fantastic experience’ might sound like a bit of a nightmare to you.

The people I want to surround myself with might not be your cup of tea.

and

I may have an interesting in understanding more about a particular subject which bores you to tears.

The reason is simple…

Whilst we have much in common, we’re all fantastically unique!

So, if we’re all fantastically unique with often completely different loves, hates, hopes, dreams, ideas and aspirations….

Why do many of us think that the same identity kit template of happiness (the big house, the flash car and full time holidays) will make us happy?

I suppose we could argue the telly-box is responsible, or marketers are the issue, or ‘consumerist society’?

However if we’re in a position where our future ‘ideal’ lives exist only in our own minds surely, and whilst there will always be external influences, there is only one factor which truly matters…

Us.

In actual fact designing your ideal life takes is deep thought.

Deep thought about how you’d spend your time if money ceased to be an issue.

Deep thought about who you’d help.

Deep thought about what you’d want to experience.

Deep thought about how you want to learn, develop and grow.

Deep thought on how we share all of these things with people we care about.

So find yourself a quite room.

Arm yourself with a pen & paper (or a computer you can type on)

and

A decent amount of time.

Now answer genuinely writing it in much detail as you can the following question…

As you sit here today what does your ‘ideal life’ look like?

For more information on how to achieve your ‘ideal life’ please call us on 08450568959.