by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
This book comes from a popular undergraduate design class at Stanford led by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. One of the main themes is the suggestion to to reframe dysfunctional beliefs such as these:
- It’s too late to design a life I love
- Your degree determines your career
- To be happy I have to make the right choice
If you find yourself believing any of these statements, designing your life will help you reframe your thinking, and to start taking small steps forward towards rapid prototyping of your life goals. We often hear the advice that you must follow your passion. For those of us with multiple passions, this book reminds us that 80% of people do not have a passion and it is perfectly normal to be passionate about many things. Instead of obsessing about the perfect passion, we should narrow down a list of possibilities, make a decision and start exploring. The objective is to get out of the imaginary, and to start designing your way forward to a fulfilling life. If you are uncertain what life decisions you should keep following, consider this advice from the book, “your level of energy and engagement is your clue if you are moving in the right direction.”
