Setting Up Our Future
Setting Up Our Future
For over a decade now I have been fortunate enough to run my annual Life by Design week long residential program called Today’s Skills, Tomorrow’s Leaders at the Australian Institute of Sport, for some of our country’s high potential youth, with a core outcome being setting up their future life.
Living By Default or By Design
Over the years, during this week long program, I have had the privilege of meeting three Governor Generals, a number of Prime Ministers and dozens of our country’s top leaders.
What has consistently struck me is how many people, no matter what walk of life, community leaders to school leavers, are living a life by default, rather than a life by design.
If we can’t decide what we want in life, then 1) society or 2) chance may end up deciding for us.
Therefore we risk falling into a career and life path that we otherwise wouldn’t have chosen for ourselves, if we had the awareness, self-understanding and tools to make better decisions about our future.
The Unfortunate Reality
65% of young people say their life and career decisions were made by chance or via the influence of others, rather than by design.
As such, many of us end up being disengaged in an unfulfilling job – disillusioned, restless and sometimes feeling trapped in a disappointing career destined for a mediocre life.
Over dramatic? Possibly! But the reality is most of us spend more than 30% of our life working, so wouldn’t it be worth investing some time into making sure we are on the right track and making the right choices, being in control of our life, passionate, fulfilled and on purpose?
Working To Live or Living To Work?
Society typically expects us to finish school, get qualified, get a career we need to make money so we can support ourselves and then buy a home we leave empty all day (working) in order to afford to live in it.
Sadly, as already eluded to, too many people fall into a job just to pay the bills, rather than get paid for what they love doing. Too many people feel ill-informed about their future career path as many know what they don’t want, but fewer know what they truly do want.
The Fountain of Youth
Let’s cut to the source and see if we can intercept the issue before it becomes a lifelong, to-ashamed-to-admit problem.
Unfortunately many old-school career counsellors focus on the now ever changing work options available in the current employment market and very little on helping people get real clarity on their key passions, talents and strengths. As such many people are naively setting off on the wrong work and life path trajectory.
Alternatively there are some excellent career direction services out there, such as Katie Roberts Career Consultants, who have been around for many years and lead the market through reputation alone.
Also (but I’m bias) our Life by Design online learning courses have proven to be an excellent resource for gaining clarity in what you want out of life and work. But enough of that…!
Our Goal is Helping the World Achieve Greater Purpose
We believe it is the World’s collective achievement of positive meaningful goals that will improve this planet and its people towards a more fulfilling and purposeful future.
We believe that one of the World’s easily fixed social problems is, as mentioned, that many people are unfortunately purposeless and lacking direction in their life. This alone can be the direct cause of an unfulfilling ‘life by default’ rather than by design.
So, setting and achieving an inspiring vision can dramatically improve us, our community and therefore the World.
If we succeed in helping just a fraction of the planet in achieving greater purpose, then imagine the amazing ‘ripple effect’ that will result throughout the World.
Our mission of reaching more and more people and ‘Helping the world achieve their purpose’ is our passion.
Our Legacy: Helping Our Future Generation Now
In light of all I have been saying, we have recently decided to provide limited scholarships to help unlock the strengths and talents of Australia’s future generations who illustrate promise, but lack the support and resources to maximise their full potential.
These mentoring scholarships are designed to support young people in the range of 16-25 years of age to help them get a step up and create an inspiring future direction so that they are happier and feel more successful in their life.
“An extremely efficient & streamlined way to take stock of my life, dig deeper into my priorities
& make an instantly usable action plan to move forward with & get started on today.
Ian provided me with straight up, clear, concise & realistic methods to completely overhaul my life.”
Mike Sloan
Today’s Skills, Tomorrow’s Leaders Participant
The Life by Design Foundation
These initiatives are based on our 20 years of successful programs and online courses to help participants to:
- Liberate their real uniqueness and align it with their future life and career transitions
- Identify their dream career pathway and how to get it
- Get more control of life and future, based on their strengths and passions
- Provide experienced guidance and a positive cheer squad to support them on their journey.
Youth Mentoring Opportunities
Life by Design Mentoring Scholarships are awarded to people of all walks of life who demonstrate a desire and are committed to achieving their life goals, despite adversity, but who may not have the opportunity or finances to access a much needed quality mentoring program.
Depending on individual’s needs, scholarships range in value and time of up to 12 months.
Life by Design’s Program Objectives
- Bringing the next generation to a new level of liberated happiness
- Take more control and responsibility for your own pathways in both work & life
- Get clarity about your strengths and what you want, so your passion aligns with purpose
- Identify your dream job & strategies to make it happen
- Clarify your vision, so you are inspired and excited about life
- Understand the importance of having financial control
- Overcome the obstacles and challenges holding you back
- Create easy, simple strategies and action plans to implement your life goals.
And You Can Help!
Do you know anyone who would benefit from our Youth Mentoring Scholarships?
Could they do with some support and do they meet the criteria?
Are they open to being mentored and have the commitment needed?
Selection Criteria
Scholarships are open to anyone who:
- Is an Australian citizen of at least 16 up to 25 years of age with permanent residency.
- Has personal or social circumstances which provide significant challenges.
- Can demonstrate commitment,promise and a desire to better their life, despite adversity, but lacks the support and resources to maximise their full potential.
- Can illustrate the potential to have a positive social impact as a result of being awarded a mentoring scholarship.
Application Process
Please email us addressing the above Selection Criteria in detail, along with applicant contact information.
Applications are reviewed on an on-going basic and must NOT be made on behalf of an applicant, but rather by the applicant themselves.
If you have any further questions please contact us.
