Designing Your Life

I recently read "Designing Your Life" by B. Burnett and D. Evans- a book about how to think as a designer when envisioning your future career

I recommend this book to those who currently feel at a crossroads, trying to figure out where to go in their careers. It provides a step-by-step process in that quest.

What I liked about it and some ideas where coaching can help

“most people do not have that one thing they are passionate about...the only way to know..is to prototype some potential lives..”

Yes, I hear them, often people are in search of that purpose in life that will completely fulfill them, some are waiting for illumination day or for someone to tell them the answer. The answer does not come to you, you must search it, and there is no one right answer, but several possibilities that you must investigate. This book shows you how to come up with ideas. Or you can be coached to find them.

"Before you can figure out which direction to head in, you need to know where you are..."

Problem Finding

Understand and assess what your satisfaction level is in Love, Health, Work, and Play on a scale from 1 to 4. In coaching, we call this a Life Balance Wheel. We need to know our level of satisfaction in all aspects of our lives, but I prefer it when we go more into detail. There are several variables under "Love", you cannot average your satisfaction between your kids, husband, parents, friends, family, etc. Each person must have a rating, as you may notice something there. How about spirituality? or confidence? Maybe I want to be more satisfied with a quality that has a direct effect on everything else. This is an area where coaching can help!

The book also talks about writing your Workview and Lifeview, putting together a document where you ask yourself, what is important for you in work and life. Coaches call these values, what are those qualities that you value at work and in engagement life, understanding what is most important is primary for prioritizing a job over another, or understanding why one path may not satisfy you in the long term.

"Enjoyment is a guide to finding the right work for you"

Journaling times, when you feel high energy and engagement, can provide us with some clues about what direction to take. Flow is a concept well used in career advising and coaching, finding when you do things without worrying about time because you are at your best and highly focused. There is a beautiful exercise in coaching called the logical level that helps you gain insights from that flow state, skills you like using, values you are showing, and who you are becoming as you are taking those actions.

I am never stuck because I can always generate a lot of ideas... There are multiple great lives (and plans) within me, and I get to choose which one to build my way forward to next"

The book shows you how to create mindmaps the way designers do to come up with a brainstorm of future lives or paths. It is a great exercise to do, and then to discuss them with friends and family. I would add that a focus group of people you know, is another way of brainstorming possible jobs or careers. Gathering a personal friend, family member, colleague, or former classmate, and you present them with your findings on who you are and where are at. It is interesting to hear what they come up with, what they see you doing, what sectors would be attractive to you, and what kind of environment they think you would strive for. Just observe and listen, without judgment.

The second half of the book talks about testing these prototypes which is networking for informational interviews (another section on this blog). And the final message is:

"Life is a process not an outcome"

We are always growing, always changing, and redesigning, continuously. Failure is part of the learning process. Designers build several ideas and then test, fail, learn, fix, and change, continuously. Don't take failure as a failure, but as a learning opportunity, the opportunity to cross out an option, redesign, or gain an insight that you were not aware of before.