There is actually a big difference between having a great lifestyle and a great life – but the two can easily become confused.
“Lifestyle” refers to things we buy to decorate our lives. Through our lifestyle choices we can buy an identity through brands. We can define how other people perceive us, so it can be a way of gaining acceptance and approval from them. A common term for this is “keeping up with the Joneses”. We want to control what people think of us and it can be tempting to do this through making sure we have the right “things” in order to be regarded in a certain way.
Your “life” on the other hand, is what you lead when you know what is important to you and you let that control your behaviour. Your life is made up of your choices and actions. Through our “life” we can create our own self esteem and pride through being true to our selves.
Often our “lifestyle” keeps us in situations we don’t want anymore, like jobs, relationships and even cities that are no longer working for us. It’s very easy to get tied up in working towards having the right home, with the right furniture, the nice cars, sending our kids to the right schools, having the right holidays, wearing the right clothes, etc, etc.
There is nothing wrong with having nice things, fabulous holidays, or any of the other lifestyle choices, if it is what you want. But, so often, our “lifestyle” becomes more about what other people think, than what we truly want for ourselves.
Take a moment now to imagine you are celebrating your 80th birthday and looking back on your life with tremendous pride. What are you most proud of? What were the highlights of your life? Did you have the life you wanted to have? What was most important to you?
Now look at a snapshot of how you live today. Is it a picture you are proud of? Are you working towards being able to look back on that wonderful life? Are there any changes you would like to make? Are you focussing your time and energy on the things that matter most to you? Are you living your life according to what you honestly believe is most important, or are you chasing other people’s expectations?
By Jacqui Thomas
All rights reserved
