“Oh Danny? Yeah he’s nice.”
You don’t want to be Danny. After 25 years of friendship, that’s all his best friend has to say about him to a stranger. These are the Dannys you should be:
- Athlete Danny: “Danny is all about basketball. He even got picked for one of those half-court shots once—he missed, though.”
- Musician Danny: “Oh yeah I’m surprised Danny’s here to be honest he spends almost all his time – when he’s not on tour – practicing with his band.”
- Artist Danny: “Yeah, you’d get on with Danny. He’s an artist. He can paint stuff that you’d swear was a photograph. Yeah, he makes YouTube videos about it, too.”
The difference is that the last three Dannys picked something to make their life about. They chose a lifestyle.
What’s your life about?
If you’re not sure, it’s time you picked a lifestyle. It doesn’t need to be what you do for a living. Danny might only be an artist in his spare time. But knowing his identity infuses everything he does – he’s made a life strategy, and he’s living it out. He dresses like an artist, he socializes with artsy people, and he knows that when plans fall through or when life gets rough, he’ll be lost in his artwork. And everyone around him knows it, too.
“You can have what you want in life, but you must decide what it is.”
Jordan Peterson
Unfortunately, it’s true. I say “unfortunately” because although most people can have what they want in life, they refuse to decide what they want and instead live a life they never wanted. It’s a leading factor in why almost one in five Americans has been diagnosed with depression.
By choosing a lifestyle, you’re giving your life some direction, some meaning, and you’ll stop the Dragon of Emptiness coming for you.
The Creative Lifestyle
Do you imagine your home with its own studio attached? Perhaps for painting, sculpting, or somewhere to develop your old-school photographs? Do you squeeze in artistic sessions between your other responsibilities?
You were bound for the lifestyle of a creative
- Build a creative space at home
- Start a new social media platform and dedicate it to your creative output (e.g. Twitch or Instagram)
- Find a local group, class, or professional who is already living the creative lifestyle you want.
The Athletic Lifestyle
You know someone like this. You may see them out running regardless of the weather, or maybe they’re always on the way to the gym, the batting cages, or the gold club.
More and more people are choosing an active, athletic lifestyle, some as a hobby or weekend activity, and others as a job through coaching, personal training, opening gyms, etc.
However, you don’t have to be a professional to live an athletic lifestyle.
My son’s table tennis instructor is a great example. He works a regular 9-5 job during the week, but in the evenings and on the weekends, he’s all about table tennis. He started a club, teaches, and competes in the table tennis league. If anyone asked, “What is Steve like?” AN answer would have to include his love of table tennis. It’s simply a part of who he is. It’s the lifestyle he chose.
- At Face Dragons, we recommend that you start learning martial arts to solve your problems.
- Create a training routine and stick to it
- Add your practice sessions to your daily morning routine
The World Traveler Lifestyle
I chose this lifestyle and lived for 16 years in Asia. Along the way, I learned a few languages, learned how different people think, and understood that people want different things. My time living in Beijing among 40 million people trying to climb the corporate ladder, buy a house, and earn more money was in stark contrast to the Laotians I met in Luang Prabang. They were happy sitting in the gardens of their beautiful city, eating a good meal, and having a good conversation.
- Become a digital nomad and expat
- Take frequent trips and document your journeys on social media or with a travel journal
- Learn a new language
The Musician Lifestyle
Do you see yourself walking around in an old Metalica shirt carrying a beat-up notebook full of your latest lyric ideas to share with your band? Or do you see yourself as the Piano teacher kids go to after school? Even if they go begrudgingly, it allows you to live a life dedicated to your first love of music. It will enable you to forego getting a “real job” and get paid for doing something you enjoy.
Then again, you may have no musical talent and instead want to open a store selling second-hand records or CDs. You can play music all day and talk to customers about albums you haven’t heard in years.
- Dedicate your midnight monk mode to practicing your instrument
- Build an audiophile-grade listening room
- Become a band photographer, marketer or social media spokesman (most bands suck at this stuff)
The 9-5 Lifestyle
The 9-5 lifestyle has gotten a bad rep over the last 20 years, but it’s a pretty sweet gig for the correct type of person. You go to an office, hang out with like-minded people all day, and do some work between bouts of checking Instagram. You give yourself some great career goals to aim at, and then, at 5 pm, you get to go home and not worry about work again until the next day.
- Use this consultant’s personal development ideas list
- Learn some time management skills
- Befriend your boss (this is the best thing you can do at work)
The Academic Lifestyle
So many people go to college because they have no idea what they want to do for a living, and some graduates still do not know. Instead of finding an internship, the academic type stays and completes a master’s, then a Ph.D., and starts teaching undergrads on the side. When the day comes that they finally finish their doctorate—like many long-term prison inmates—they just can’t handle life on the outside and so look for permanent teaching or research positions within the university.
If you’re naturally curious and love the idea of going to school for the rest of your life, this might be the lifestyle for you.
Search Face Dragons for great guides on all the ideas below
- Become more educated
- Build a reading habit
- Store your knowledge in a personal knowledge management system
The Religious Lifestyle
You don’t have to become a monk or a priest to live a religious lifestyle. Making your faith central to your life is all it takes. This is the most meaningful of all the lifestyles you can choose on this list. Think Ned Flanders in The Simpsons (who was probably more religious than Reverand Lovejoy. You can imagine he was the first to arrive at church on Sunday and the last to leave. He likely started church groups, Bible studies, and charity drives. Does that sound like who you want to be?
- Join (or give to) a charity
- Pray or meditate each day
- Read the Bible or go to church
The Nerd or Geek Lifestyle
There was a time when playing computer games instead of football made you a nerd, but now that tech is cool, the nerdosphere has shrunken to a few core areas – the hobbies for nerds. “Otherworld play” – whether fantasy or science fiction – are full-on nerd territory. As is collecting (anything from retro toys to comic books) and getting into anything that could be described as niche. If you could see yourself in a decade-long DnD game or playing World of Warcraft but only in the role-play realms, the nerd lifestyle is for you.
- Start collecting something and display it everywhere (think Instagram full of your collections)
- Find others to geek out with
- Incorporate your nerdy lifestyle into the way you dress
The Entrepreneur Lifestyle
In today’s cultural environment, it sometimes feels like every man should own his own business. While he should certainly take responsibility for his financial situation, it doesn’t always mean he should build a business. But if that feels like who you’re meant to be, choosing the entrepreneurial lifestyle is the way to go.
The entrepreneur spends his day making deals, making sales, and investing in himself and his company. He hires a team and leads them to glory. It’s not for everyone, but it might be for you.
- Build a side hustle
- Learn to invest your money
- Build an online presence (do something everyday)
The Cultured Lifestyle
Cultured lifestyles used to be common choices for men of education or status. They read the classics of Western civilization, went to the opera, the symphony, and the playhouse, dressed in classic style, and analyzed both history and the present through political, cultural, or economic lenses.
Think Frasier Crane and his brother Niles. Both wearing Armani suits, drinking sherry and talking about last night’s performance at the symphony.
- Read the classics
- Build out a classic wardrobe
- Become a regular at the local arts centre
The Outdoors Lifestyle
The outdoors lifestyle isn’t only the embodiment of cool. It’s the ultimate anti-modern lifestyle. While everyone else is staring at a screen, you’re getting sun on your skin, wind in your face, and absorbing the healing energy of nature.
Want to make this your lifestyle? Why not! And there are plenty of ways to do it.
- Carry around a cool backpack with everything you need to survive outside
- Learn to build fires, hunt and how to skin and cook your prey
- Learn to climb and find others who are into it
Go Do It
You don’t need any more encouragement, go make your life your life!
