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Ten Principles for Life Design
Part 1 of 2: The kid and the magician
A few months ago, a friend reached out to me. She was going through a personal life challenge and had to make some tough decisions. We had long conversations that went beyond her immediate struggle to reflections on related topics.
I shared with her a few lessons I had learnt over the past few years, lessons that have become more like principles I follow while navigating life. She asked me to publish these principles because she believed other people might find inspiration in them. I responded to her request and published the principles in Arabic.
Now, as we’re stepping into a new year and emerging from one phase of Covid to another, many of us, including myself, are contemplating how to lead our lives in this new year and beyond. I revisited my principles and decided to share them again, this time in English.
Over two articles, I’m sharing the ten principles I consider essential for designing a rich, fulfilling and purpose-driven life. These principles are not meant to help you define your fitness goals or other targets for 2022, even though they can. Instead, I use these principles to design my next phase of life (usually around three to five years). I also revisit them whenever I reach an intersection, score a win or face a challenge.
Needless to say, these 10 principles aren’t exhaustive. Rather, they’re the lessons I’ve learnt through ups and downs over the course of my professional and personal journey.
And because I’m learning and growing, I’ll be happy to receive your thoughts and to hear about the principles you follow in your life.
Here are my first five principles for life design:
Principle #1: Remember, almost everything in your life has been designed by someone
There’s a good chance you’re reading these words while in lockdown in your home, or you’re out and about, carrying your mask and anxious over maintaining a 1.5 metres distance from the people around you, right?
Why?
Because someone else has decided that this is how you should work, study and live your life during the pandemic and…
