There's no getting around it- I am a die-hard advocate of Life Design. I have always been dedicated to living life on my own terms, and I believe in Life Design's power to provide structure and legitimacy to a way of navigating life that is highly effective, but not widely embraced. It is a process I revisit year after year. It is also a practice that is deeply ingrained in the foundation of OutGrowth. It not only guides our program design and is woven into our company values, but it is also a separate program offering that occupies its own space in our list of services. Life Design, like any subset of Human-Centered Design, makes us think and act differently. It makes us look at ourselves holistically- not as title-holders and as roles within an organization but as multi-faceted, dynamic beings. But what I love most about Life Design is that it gives us permission- -Permission to take the time to build a life we've always imagined -Permission to admit to ourselves that we may not be cut out for a linear life path -Permission not to know what to do next -Permission to get ourselves "unstuck" and grow forward, one step at a time, even if we don't have it all figured out How would our lives look if we started working toward a joy-filled life instead of a successful one? I often talk about how more of us fit into that "misfit" category than we are willing to admit. It's time we started owning and exploring it. This month, we focus on one of my favorite topics, while also giving you resources and inspiration from two incredible professionals who have designed their own way forward in life. Happy reading. Grow out with us. |
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OutGrowth Today Our Monthly Blogger Spotlight + OutGrowth's Top Tip for August The En Root Scoop Designing Your Life Our Top Ted Talk, Card Deck and Book for Embracing the Mess |
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“The only way to make sense of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the game.” ~ Alan Watts This quote lives on a painting hanging on my wall. It was created by my former 4th-grade student, who is now in college. Her words, these words, have never been truer or more powerful than now as we live through a pandemic. This student, young woman I should say, has figured it all out. She is using one of the greatest forces in the universe to thrive in these tumultuous times...Acceptance. So she paints, she draws, she works on all the projects she’s been meaning to get to and is living the life she wants to live. This has not always been her outlook. I’m writing so much about her because she has become a fixture in my new journey, one that I will always remember. During the time in which her path was unknowingly spiraling toward mine again, I had been contemplating new paths. I had reached that point in my career where, for several years, something had been urging me to seek for it. I had no idea what it was. I thought, what am I missing? Was it more schooling I desired? Was it a “regular job”? I didn’t hate teaching, I actually love the art of teaching. But I came to realize that for years I had been unconsciously designing my life around the thing that I love the most...encouraging, inspiring, and guiding people to find and become the best version of themselves. I’ve often found that the best lessons come from those you’re trying to teach, and we teach what we most want to learn. My student contacted me about a message I keep on my board, Welcome To A New Moment. This is a message with acceptance built into it, as well as a way to view life, one moment at a time releasing the old and grasping the new. I took that challenge. |
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I began by asking people close to me, where do you think my talents lie? See, we think we know ourselves, but if you really want to know what you project out into the world, ask someone else. For the first time in a while, I was designing my life on purpose. So I continued my search, and I came upon this thing called coaching. It resonated with me, and I decided to pursue it. I became certified as a Health and a Life Coach. It was then my student’s path careened into mine. On a whim, she stopped by one day, and we talked about how things weren’t going according to plan. In fact, there was no plan. So I put myself “out there” and offered my services as a Coach. When you’re designing the life you want, at first you have to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Remember, there’s always a new moment on the horizon. While designing my life around helping people design theirs, I’ve noticed there are endless opportunities for us to redesign. Designing your life is not a one time venture, it’s a lifelong journey. Coaching is exhilarating! I get a thrill helping others find and do what thrills them. I’ve learned that when you stop, take stock, and pay attention to what you’ve been doing all of your life, you realize you’ve been unconsciously designing it the whole time. Sometimes your passion is not at the forefront and you must find it. However, YOU are the architect of your life, just redesign it! George has been an educator for 18 years. Currently, he is a 4th-Grade teacher at McDonogh School in Owings Mills. He is also a Certified Life Coach and Health Coach. |
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Like it or not, life has forced us into reinvention this year. If we are lucky enough to have our health, we have contorted ourselves into impromptu virtual employees, schoolteachers, hairdressers, and cooks-who-can-make-something-delicious-out-of-canned-goods-from-the-basement. All of us, unintentionally, have been thrown into new roles. But what if, in this moment of extreme uncertainty, we gift ourselves with purposeful reinvention? We have been forced to change anyway, so why not make that change as intentional as possible? I’m just trying to get through this in one piece, you say. Who’s got time for self-reflection? I say – this is actually a great moment to design a life of joy and fulfillment. Because we, the world over, have been disrupted. The old rules and routines have been thrown out the window. Even when we go back to our old lives, things will be different. We will all be different. So how do you want to be different? Here are some tips and tricks to answer that question, inspired by life design gurus Bill Burnett and Dave Evans: Indulge Your Curiosity: What do you dream of doing? Use this time to explore your passions. Be curious! After all, you’re stuck at home, how much damage can you do? Take Action: Albert Einstein said, “Nothing happens until something moves.” So move closer to your dream through small, measurable actions, like taking a class, or joining a club, or joining a movement. Collaborate: Get on social media and connect with people who do what you love. Ask questions, share ideas, and start building a network of people as passionate about your field as you are. |
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Know It’s a Process: No; you won’t emerge from home isolation as a guru, but you will have taken that first step and set yourself up to take the next step, even as we return to “normal” life. I decided to emerge from the fog of 2020 as a published author. I have always dreamt of being a writer, but amidst a burgeoning career in another field, two small children, and the brisk current of life, my dream fell by the wayside. I wrote for fun, but never with focus. Towards the end of 2019, I had a few lucky encounters with friends who showed me what’s possible when you pursue a goal with intention and heart. So, at the beginning of 2020, I generated some measurable goals for myself. I will get something published. I will write a novel. I thought COVID-19 confinement would slow me down, but the unexpected isolation helped me focus. I connected with authors online. I started writing for 30 minutes every night. I joined my local writing association. I started submitting stories for publication. When taken individually, these were all small steps. But together, they gave me a body of work and a base of experience to grow on. And they gave me confidence. I am no longer dreaming of becoming a writer. I am a writer. The circumstances of 2020 have, and will, shape our lives in unexpected ways. But we can shape ourselves, too, if we apply intention, heart, and action in equal measure. So how will you be different in 2020? Blair Pasalic is a Maryland-based writer and storyteller. Follow her on Instagram and catch her new online series, Blair Reviews Old Books. |
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| | Monthly Blogger Spotlight Achieving Mission Alignment by Kyle Vaughan and Kenneth Wayman 'To us, social impact means empowering people, reducing suffering, and creating joy. It looks beyond profit motive and organizational goals toward how our operations impact communities. It means giving people the tools and resources to make their own choices about how they want to live.' Kyle Vaughan is the Founder and CEO of Greatest Possible Good. He loves his dog and his mom, and is dedicated to using his business and design skills to create and sustain positive impact. Kenneth Wayman is Greatest Possible Good's Founder and CTO. He is a recovering software engineer with a knack for problem-solving who wants to use his skills to leave the world a slightly less chaotic place. | | |
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| | OutGrowth's Top Tip On Designing a Life: Do an Assessment At OutGrowth, we believe in building a life, a business, or a community by taking small, conscious and intentional steps forward, consistently. In order to do this effectively, however, we need to take here-and-now assessments regularly. We, as individuals, are constantly shifting, receiving new information or experiencing new circumstances. In order to take the next best step forward, we have to know where we are first. Looking at the categories of your work and home life, what's working and what's not? What feels off? Where are you stuck? If you've mapped out solutions that haven't worked, why haven't they worked? Once we check our pulse, we can thoughtfully move forward and prototype new life directions. | | |
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'Executive director of Stanford’s design program at the d.School, Bill Burnett uses design thinking, a career’s worth of starting companies and coaching students, and a childhood spent drawing cars and airplanes under his Grandmother’s sewing machine to inform his work on how to design your life. In five eyebrow-raising findings, Burnett offers simple but life-changing advice on designing the life you want, whether you are contemplating college or retirement.' | | |
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'One way for a team to draw on all its strengths is to know and activate each member’s superpower. This deck of cards will help you uncover yours.The card deck is great to use as part of a team kick-off or to give as a gift to a friend or colleague.' | | |
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'LaPorte believes that instead of chasing achievements, we should focus on the feelings that the achievement will bring us. She argues that “our feelings inform our thoughts. And our thoughts inform our behavior.” The book explains this philosophy and asks readers questions throughout, to help get to the bottom of why you want what you want.' | | |
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