Are You Living By Design or Default?

Life is the lump sum of our choices. ~ Albert Camus

A successful person does not drift through his or her days. They focus their mentality on what they believe to be important, they take the time to make deliberate choices and they are disciplined in their emotions. They are living by design.

A person who lives by default is less focused, accepts whatever comes his or her way, doesn't have a master plan, and allows their emotions to run rampant.

Which are you? Deliberate or Default? Here's an illustrative quote from Alice in Wonderland.

`Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?' `That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat. `I don't much care where--' said Alice. `Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat.
I'd like to think that I want to actually LIKE where I end up, so I'd like to be in charge of where I want to get to, don't you?

Our lives are so busy these days, that we get very caught up in the busyness of the moment and seldom ask ourselves if this is truly the place we want to go toward or end up at. This is living by default.

It doesn't matter where you are in your life right now, nor does it matter how you've lived it up to this point. If you want to live a deliberate life and be living by design, you can consciously bring meaning to your day and add purposefulness to your life. All you have to do is to give it some thought.

How would you like your career to look in the next five years? What would your marriage be like? What about your finances? Is there a master plan for your finances that gives you a sense of comfort and control, or are you living paycheck to paycheck? What is there in your life that absolutely sets sparks off when you think about it? What is there in your life that lets you know "Yes, this is the life I was meant to be living right here and right now!"

Many wise individuals have recommended that you mentally take yourself to your own death scene and ask yourself those deeply-thought-out questions. Remember, Abraham Lincoln said: "And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." Here are some of that type of question.

Who have I loved and what did I do about it?
Am I working at something that matters?
What am I doing to help others?
Am I the good person I want to be?
Am I living a life of passion, health and energy?

It's never too late to polish up your life a bit and make it shine more....for you! Can you tweak your resume and go get that new position you so ardently desire? Could you register for a class to learn some new skill? Can you sit quietly and make a list of everything in your life currently that is good and that you so appreciate?

Your dreams are worth dreaming, worth working toward, and worth enjoying. You CAN Be the Change! You can be living by design!