As someone who strives to be frugal and watch my pennies, I still want to show that you can design the life you want with what you have. It starts with being content, and being content with what you have even though it may not be exactly what you think you want. I don’t particularly like trends, but there are times I am like “I gotta have that”. But do I really? Is it necessary to having that well-designed life? Probably not.

It seems like the world is always trying to “keep up with the Jones’s”. We think we need to have some certain thing in order to do something or to do what someone else is doing. What if you just used only what you have, and not try to identically replicate what someone else has done? What if you decided that what you have is good enough, is worthy, is acceptable? Well, that is exactly what I am striving for in my life. Use what I have, modify, repurpose, or just plain ole be content with what I have. While this may be hard, it will save money, cause you to be creative, and help you to realize you really didn’t need all that other stuff you thought you needed. Grant it, I am not saying you don’t need anything ever. You will need things to keep going, but you don’t have to have it all.

An example is a recipe. I used to think I needed every exact item called for in a recipe. If I didn’t have that ingredient, I didn’t think I could fix the recipe. I have since learned to modify recipes and use what I have or make an ingredient homemade.

Design in general, is very appealing to me. Putting together a mood board, choosing patterns, colors, textures, and putting them all together to create a great design. We can do this with our life as well. You can make a mood board for your life, your home, your food palate, or your outfits.

I’ve been interested in life design and creating a simple and happy life, making the most of life, since I was a child. I used to think I wanted to be a Life Coach or work in psychology, but I don’t want to dig deep into my problems or other’s problems for a living. Instead, I want to help myself and others take the life they have got and design the life of your dreams. I used to think I needed to figure out why things happen the way they do, or why people do what they do, but I have settled within myself after many ups and downs, that there is one thing I can control: how I choose to live and design my life. Everything else, other people and why things happen–these things are out of my control. I found it quite depressing to always focus on my problems. Once I finally realized that I just needed to take control of my life and happiness, and the design of it, I found peace with past hurts and loss, and found the path moving forward. I never thought I could ever be this happy and at peace ever again. But I have, and if I can overcome how horribly low I was at one point in my life a few years ago, I am positive anyone can.

*Disclaimer: I do not in any way speak against Life Coaches or therapists. They are very essential. I have finally gotten through some of the hardest times and choose to not think about things of the past that are hurtful. If you are feeling low, please seek help if needed. I am simply offering what I did once I found peace.

So get out a pen and paper and jot down a few goals or design ideal(I am calling this a design ideal instead of a goal–I love the word design because that means it is not necessarily created yet and an open palette, but with a little designing on your part a completed design is formed) to design your ideal life. Then ask yourself why you haven’t achieved them yet or what is holding you back–these are your obstacles that you want to make sure to be aware of later on. Next, write down small steps you can take each day to achieve those goals. Write out steps for each goal or design ideal.

I will be continually touching on this, but in everything I do, I am continually designing this life of mine. Making it what I want it to be. Don’t let others dictate what your life is, but rather in any situation, make it better by your love for designing your own life. In other words, don’t just let things happen to you, make a choice to design your own life with what you have and have been dealt. Trust me, I have suffered loss, and nothing will ever fix the loss, but I can fill that space with what I have left, that I design myself. So although I am talking design both physical and mental, both really go hand in hand when designing the sweet life you love(my slogan-haha!).

What are some ways you can design the life you want with what you have?

Libby