5 Ways to Design a Passion-Filled Life

I talk a lot about leading a passion-filled life. And while it can feel like a daunting task to reinvent your whole life, I don’t believe it has to be that way. In fact, I believe you can find passion in anything! So I put together these five easy ways to design a passion-filled life.

5 Ways to Design a Passion-Filled Life

The truth is, a passion-filled life isn’t a destination. It’s an ever-evolving place we need to intentionally create for ourselves.

I’ve mentioned before that Mike and I have dream meetings where we talk about where we want to travel, how we want to retire, what we want to do next year, and how we want to shape our kiddo’s lives.

Setting aside space for us to get really intentional at the drawing board allows us to design the life we want without feeling overwhelmed. But also recognizing that our dreams and goals may shift over the years gives us freedom and flexibility to get creative and do what feels aligned in the moment.

The number one mistake I see people making while designing their passion-filled life is doing so in a permanent marker. Once you understand that you’ll need to rework and reassess every time you hit a goal (yay!) it will take so much pressure off.

So here’s the scoop… each time you sit down to design your passion-filled life, be sure to dig into these five categories:  

1. Yourself

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times: everything starts with self-care. It’s not selfish or inconsiderate — it’s the exact opposite!

The number one way to design a passion-filled life is to intentionally think about how you’re going to take care of you’re self. Maybe it looks like nightly bubble baths or maybe it means signing up for that yoga class downtown. Either way, making yourself a priority in your life will set the foundation for everything else.

2. Marriage

If you’re married you know that if this relationship isn’t solid, nothing else is. When you’re designing your passion-filled life, be sure to think about how your spouse fits into it.

Do you want more date nights? Do you wish you could travel with them on their business trips? Would you love to set time aside for that couples cruise you keep seeing advertised? Right after your self-care, be sure to consider your marriage when designing a passion-filled life.

3. Relationships

While your relationships with yourself and your spouse are critical, so are the other people in your life. This can include your family, kiddos, and circle of influence.

Is there a friend you’ve been dying to take to coffee? Call them up! Would you love to start a monthly “family” dinner tradition with your friends? Set it up! It can even be as simple as setting aside 10 minutes a day to check in with a friend over text or Facebook message. The people around you are a huge part of your life, so don’t forget to include them when designing your passion-filled life.

4. Eating Well & Exercising

I don’t know about you, but if I don’t plan my workouts or healthy meals, they don’t happen. If I want to block an afternoon out for a yoga class or trail ride, I have to actively do it. And if I want to try that new grilled chicken recipe, I have to head to the store and buy the ingredients.

Eating well and exercising are foundations to feeling amazing — which is critical for a passion-filled life. So when you’re deciding how you want your life to look, be sure to think these out. Plus, when you do the work ahead of time, it doesn’t seem like such a big deal to center your week around those two spin classes or afternoon walks with a friend.

5. Money

Yikes! I know, it’s not always a fun topic to talk about. But being intentional with money is oh, so critical when it comes to designing a passion-filled life. For instance, if you know you want to travel more with your spouse or sign up for a meal-to-door delivery,  your budget will have to adjust.

Putting yourself in control of your budget at the beginning of your designed life will ease stress and pull you out of the moment. It will also give you some time to decide what’s really important and structure everything else around that.

BTW: If you’re new to budgeting, it can be something as simple as a Google Sheet with your goals, monthly income, and expenses written out.

The truth is, if you can get those five categories aligned, everything else will fall into place. It really comes down to you being good and comfortable in your space.

A passion-filled life isn’t a final destination, rather the act of leading an intentional life and getting really clear on what’s fulfilling for you. If you’re truly happy and fulfilled you won’t be bored — even if you’re not in your dream job yet. Continually checking in on those five categories will allow you to fully show up no matter where you are.