Articles

LIFESTYLE by DESIGN

It has been proven in numerous studies that by having a clear focus and vision for the future gives you a sense of purpose, direction and meaning which increases your feeling of lifestyle success.

Research suggests that only 27% of retirees feel they have planned properly for retirement. And most of the planning for that 27% has been financial planning. But have you thought about what are your lifestyle priorities really are ? As any financial planner committed to achieving the best outcomes for your financial future will tell you, having clarity about the lifestyle you want is one of the very first important foundations to developing a great financial plan.

Like sound financial planning, lifestyle planning is all about diversity and balance. Here are what I believe are the key areas to consider in planning your future lifestyle. (Try to identify your most important top three):

1. Health - Part of any lifestyle plan should be a clear strategy for staying active and healthy.
2. Purposeful work - We spend almost 33% of our life working try and align your work with your values, skills, interest and personality type.
3. Family - 75% of Australians rated "being able to spend more time with family and friends" as very important to increasing quality of life.
4. Love relationship - Time re-discovering their relationship can be the best thing they can do.
5. Social - Reactivating friendships can be beneficial.
6. Spiritual - This isn't necessarily religious, it can simply be a time for personal space, meditation or tai chi.
7. Contribution to society - The experience and wisdom built up in our lives can have enormous benefit for society.
8. Hobbies, interests and creativity - Developing interests or hobbies can be a real growth area, especially for workaholics. Like the milk commercials, variety really is the spice of life!
9. Intellectual growth & learning - Maybe a full blown university course isn't you but there are many ways of remaining intellectually stimulated and contributing to intellectual life.
10. Financial - Now to the inevitable - money! Every lifestyle plan needs to be based on a sound cash flow to ensure that your expectations can be met. This is where your financial planner should be proactive and specific in helping you define your lifestyle goals and relative costs.
    

Now, clarify your top three lifestyle priorities from the list above. If you are not allocating enough time and energy into your top lifestyle priorities you may be feeling a sense of stress and anxiety in your life. Ask yourself how you can better allocate enough time and energy into better achieving these key priorities.

Ian Hutchinson (G.Dip.Psy, B.Bus, APS), Founder of Life by Design®, has built a reputation as Australia's leading lifestyle strategist. He has studied overseas with some of the world's leaders in lifestyle planning, and his lifestyle strategy work has been profiled throughout the media. His entertaining presentations are in demand throughout the world including Europe and the Middle East. Life by Design® can be contacted by phone on (02) 9979 4949, or visit www.lifebydesign.com.au.

For permission to reproduce this article article in whole or in part,
contact Tanya Mottl on may be contacted by
phone (+ 612) 9979 4949, fax (+ 612) 9979 4969,
or email info@lifebydesign.com.au

| Back to Articles Index |