Perhaps you’ve heard of (or even read) the book Designing Your Life. It’s supposed to be a career book, but I think it’s actually a book about personal finance. After all, financial decisions shape nearly every aspect of our lives.
The most successful people–in their careers, life satisfaction, and money–have a clear sense of purpose and are intentional about their lives.
When you align your work with your passion and values, your earning potential and life satisfaction increase dramatically.
Living Life by Design, Not Default
Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to follow the same path as our peers: go to college, work hard, buy a house, get promoted, buy a bigger house and a newer car, and repeat until you retire in your 60s (or later). Sometimes, we don’t even realize there’s another path.
My favorite quote from the book is:
“A well-designed life is a life that makes sense. It’s a life in which who you are, what you believe, and what you do all line up together.”
In the personal finance realm, we could translate this to:
A well-designed financial life is a life that makes sense. It’s a financial life in which who you are, what you believe money’s purpose is, and what you do with your money all line up together.
In my experience working with clients, I’ve found that most people live their lives by default instead of intentionally planning out a unique life that matches their personality, beliefs, goals, and vision. If we don’t dictate it for ourselves, we’ll be stuck in the “keeping up with the Jones” mindset. We’re so busy reacting to things coming at us that we don’t stop and consider whether we’re even heading in the direction we want to be going.
It’s easier to keep up with everyone else…until it’s not. Because everyone has their unique personalities, beliefs, and things that are fulfilling to them personally, not intentionally planning out your life leads to a lot of regrets and missed experiences.
Nearly everything in life is tied to money, so this realization often leads to financial regret as well. We can find down the road that we’ve spent so much of our financial resources on things that weren’t important to us that it can be difficult to reverse course (especially if you find that you’re “stuck” with a huge mortgage and/or car payment).
This is where design and intentionality come in.
The Power of Intention
Think of your financial life as a product (or outcome). In the product development world, all great products are developed with intention. The steps can be summarized as follows:
- Ideation
- Validation
- Development
- Launch
- Improvement
If this much time (and thought and energy!) is spent designing products and physical things, why wouldn’t you intentionally want to do this with your own life, especially your financial life?
Indeed, most people don’t even complete the “ideation” phase, where they stop and think about a vision for their life. Most people are so busy doing what needs to be done today that days, weeks, and years go by without even considering whether they’re heading in the right direction.
What Life Do You Want to Live?
The first step in designing your financial life is figuring out your vision or what a fulfilling life free of regrets looks like to you. This isn’t necessarily a financial question, although it will likely require some financial resources to make it happen.
For some, this could mean spending more time with loved ones doing adventurous things like skiing, backpacking, hiking, or traveling.
For others, this could be a simpler, laid-back life where you can work part-time and have freedom from the constant business of the 9-5 grind.
What truly matters to you? When do you feel like you’re living your purpose?
Money can help you create your ideal life, but it requires being intentional and having a vision for what you want. If you’re not sure, take a look around you and consider what you do and don’t like about your current life.
What excites you? When do you feel the most fulfilled and happiest? What does an ideal day look like? Design your life around these core things.
Creating Your Ideal Financial Life
My blog’s tagline is “Create a Financial Life You Love.” The key word is “create”. It won’t happen by default; you must work for it. It’s not solely about saving money. It’s about creating a mindset around money that increases your happiness levels and a detailed plan specific to your own goals.
This requires action. When you incorporate your vision and start taking steps (no matter how small!), this is where you get the results you want.
I found in my own financial journey that I didn’t have to reach the “destination’ to be confident and fulfilled. I didn’t have to wait until I retired a multi-million dollar milestone to be happy in my financial life.
Having a financial plan that I knew prioritized the important things to me, reaching important milestones, and making progress toward my long-term goals were enough.
Final Thoughts
When we intentionally align our financial resources with our values, we find that earning, spending, and saving money all become easier.
Designing your financial life requires intention, clarity, and action.
The journey starts with asking yourself: What does a meaningful and regret-free life look like to me? When you have that vision, use your intentions to guide every financial decision.
Remember, financial success isn’t about copying someone else’s strategy or keeping up with the Joneses. It’s about creating a custom blueprint uniquely yours—and having the courage to follow it, even when it looks different from everyone else’s.
What are you doing to design your life more intentionally?
