Hey friends, how's life?

If you're like me, you probably get a lot of emails and often miss the good ones.

If you like these emails: make sure they come through to your main folder.

If that's Gmail, you can drag and drop them to your Primary folder.

Or just look for any banners or options that are popping up...

Anyway - quick thought experiment this week.

Let's address the elephant in the room

Live by design, not default.

But what is life?

T.I and Rihanna's 2008 song "Live Your Life" is undoubtedly a banger.

But gives us no answers.

What does 'living your life' mean?

How can you measure it, or aim toward it?

It's not easy to answer. Yet I'm sure there are days more 'full of life' than others.

Weird.

Because, it strikes us as obvious. We live life, we are living right now.

How can we not know?

But, it's like being asked how your computer works, or what to actually do if your car stops turning on.

And, in truth - if we don't know what a good life is, how can we be deliberate in trying to design it?

Here's some ideas:

Life is a collection of experiences

Life is a collection of feelings

Life is a collection of learnings

Life is a collection of memories

Life is a collection of relationships

Life is a collection of stories.

All of these seem right... right?

For me, memories and experiences speak out particularly strongly.

I think the collection of memories explain our desperation to capture everything on photo/video.

I think experiences help to give you a wider array of feelings, stories and maybe learnings.

But maybe you have other nouns for life.

So, what are you here to do?

Here're some tools to help you maximise your life.

A) Work out when you've felt the most present/human... ALIVE.

That's a pretty good indicator of life.

For me, the cliches of jumping out a plane, racing round in a Lambo and sprinting a finish line ARE up there.

But I also think to playing casual bat and ball in the garden, having a coffee in Chester High Street or - recently - playing a game (for ages) of 'how far can you jump.'

If you wanted to take this exercise seriously, you could write out some times that come to mind.

Maybe even this year only.

And realise that feeling your most alive is actually a lot more in reach than you realise. (Ie, you don't need to save up for a Lambo).

B) Consider how you like to experience life. Are you:

The storyteller: Are you someone who lives life through telling stories?

Someone who doesn't care much for their own subjective experience at the time - but just wants it to be funny/interesting/educating so they can recount it a few times a year at the bar, and feel alive then.

The thrill seeker: Maybe you're just a highly extraverted, slightly bored-by-default person who would be happy doing things that make their heart race and head spin over and over. It's not the story, or the memory. It's the NOW that excites you.

The challenger: You actually enjoy the suck. The pain, or even the knowledge that, no matter how bad now, you're so buzzed for this run/swim/fast/studying to end so that you can re-enjoy the normal life. With one additional internal badge of honour.

The socialite: Life is about connections. Nothing is worth doing alone. If you're around others, you're happy, you're engaged, you're alive. Alone to you is when you sleep and switch off.

The internal palace: Life for you is that time alone. It's lowering yourself into a bath after having the speak to co-workers all day. It's a book, a tea, a walk around a park in your thoughts.

The hedonist: You want all the feelings, tastes, smells. There's a new cuisine to try, a cocktail you're craving, music you need to pep you up. You're acutely aware that your body/mind is more receptive than others, and that's how you feel the most alive.

The creative:

The explorer:

The joker:

The worker:

The intellect:

I could go on. There're loads.

Hopefully, when reading the above - you identified with several.

Of course. humans are many things.

Maybe this is sparking you to re-identify with emotions/memories you forgot belonged to you.

Great. That's how you design a better life.

C) Determine what living IS NOT.

The storyteller: You're at a dinner party recycling the same stories from two years ago. Nothing story-worthy is happening. Your life is on pause.

The thrill seeker: Your heart rate is low. Your mind's able to wonder, to worry, distracted. You find yourself particularly stuck to watching other cliff jumpers/parkour-ers on your phone, but yearn for that feeling yourself.

The challenger: Life is far too easy for you. You're getting soft, and losing part of your identity. The worst thing: the comfort of being comfortable is a lie. You're fidgeting, turned down and miserable. Go sign up to a challenge.

Etc.

So - what can you do?

a) Work out which of these give you the most life.

b) Schedule when you can make time for these things (regularly if possible)

c) Invite friends, family or forge new friends along the way.

Give that a go.

Live your life.

James - humans BEING

Found this useful? Share it with a friend.

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Disclaimer: The information I share is for education and general interest only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or a substitute for professional care. Please do not start or stop any medication or supplement without guidance from a qualified health professional who knows your personal history.

The views expressed are my own, based on sources available at the time of writing. Logos, images, and short excerpts may appear for identification, critique, or educational purposes; all trademarks and copyrights remain with their owners. I aim to be accurate, and if you believe something here is incorrect, please let me know so I can review and, if needed, correct it.