What will this next year 2012 look like for you?  As we roll through a beautiful fall season, it’s natural and healthy to start thinking about the upcoming year.  What do you want it to look like?  Are you willing to change it up a bit by stretching into creating more “pieces” that perhaps feed your adventurous spirit; give you a chance to learn and grow and maybe even an opportunity to do something very different but meaningful to you. 

Creating a “Portfolio” Lifestyle for Yourself

The word “portfolio” means a collection of things.  Artists have creative portfolios for their work.  We can use the same concept to creating a life for ourselves that is filled with several things.  Creating a “portfolio” lifestyle is a balanced mix of work, learning, recreation, family and community contribution.  It’s different.  It’s fun. It engages your energies and spirit.  And you don’t have to wait until retirement to do it.

But are you willing to change how you think about your future life?  To move from a linear life vision to a muti-life vision takes a major change in how you see yourself and your world around you.  Some people are open to doing that and others can’t imagine working and living differently than they have for years or their parents before them.  Interesting, our tough economic times in the last few years have certainly “inspired” many of those folks to be much more creative – and sometimes much happier! 

5 Tips to Begin Creating Your Life

But here is a easier way to begin . . . start with shifting away from traditional expectations of “what should happen when” in your career and personal life.  Challenge yourself to incorporate activities, people and interests into your daily life that bring genuine joy to you.  Can’t think of any right now?  Relax . . . watch what you naturally gravitate toward and what you truly enjoy.  And most importantly, put your fear on a back burner.  It only slows you down.  Are you willing to give it a try? 

Here are five tips to begin shifting your thinking in a powerful way . . .   

1. Give yourself permission to be optimistic
2. Seek out change – stretch your comfort zone daily
3. Slow down to think and allow yourself to imagine
4. Take responsibility for designing your own next chapter
5. Be curious about everything and willing to learn anything

Let me know how it is working for you. You’ll have a jump start on a great new year!