Do We Pretend to Be Lifestyle Rockstars?

43145184 9c437dc091 b d Do We Pretend to Be Lifestyle Rockstars?

We’re a bit of an overachieving community as lifestyle designers. We want to live exciting, rich, over-the-top travel-the-world in a single suitcase lives.

We can slip into this idea that we’re Lifestyle Rockstars (guitars not included).

Yet we can’t be rockstars all the time. The interesting rockstars in most fields are honest, down to earth, simple people who just happen to have worked their ass off to get where they are. Sure they’ve got talent and a bit of flair which separates them from others but is that all?

Surely not. They believed in their idea when it wasn’t popular, when their friends thought they were crazy and they still struggled to maintain momentum when they woke up everyday.

Believing in yourself when it is only your idea is a hard thing to do, yet when we make it (in some form or another) we should take care not to flaunt our idea as if it were always better than sliced bread. Despite how awesome your lifestyle is and how many hours you’ve spent designing it and hacking it, there are millions of other people in the world living exceptionally happy lives that are entirely different from our own.

Being a lifestyle designer, liberation artist or vagabond is not necessarily the better life choice, it is merely the most fulfilling for our place in our life at this moment. The world might come around in the long run to agree with you but you can’t change peoples minds you can only sway those who are already looking for change.

So while you may be a rockstar in your positive thinking, personal development, location independent mind it’s good to take a reality check sometimes and realize that on occasion you’re only playing the air guitar.

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Posted on 30 June 2009 by Carl

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Categorized | Artist, Feature

Tags | liberation artists, lifestyle design, lifestyle designers, lifestyle rockstars, travel-the-world

Rob

Really interesting post. I was glad to see it as I'm making thorough rounds on all lifestyle designer types I can get in touch with. I'm naturally cut from the same cloth and positioning myself to finally join the game instead of goofing around. I was just starting to get a vibe of "these lifestyle guys might be working harder than i am just to look good" yet really inspired about it. It was just good to read about being down to earth as my brain is filling with elimination tactics and forming quality expertise products for income. Thanks for that, I'd love to chat!

alex - unleash reality

haha!!

i like this idea. lifestyle rockstahrrrr! :)

made me smile :)

stumbled!!!

all the best
alex - unleash reality

CarlNelson

Thanks Alex. And yes, lifestyle rockstars. Looks like you happen to be one in your own unleashed reality.

Ralph Carlson

Modesty become you.

ChristiaanH

Somehow the people why cry from the highest mountains about something are the ones who don't get there. To busy "learning the tricks of the trade" and not actually "learning the trade"

Everyone is entitled to their own way of life, sure, we can mock them for not striving to reach that illusive 4HWW or for having a dayjob. But who are we to judge if what we want or see as an ideal is the ideal for others as well.

Thanks for a great blogpost Carl, keep 'em coming, you're definitely on a roll. (And made me rethink a few things, I need to cry less and get down to where things matter and just "do" )

Colin Wright

Good point!

I think it is important to make sure the option is available (by making information available to those who want to design their lifestyle), but it's definitely not something that should be shoved down anyone's throat.

I know, as well, that the behind-the-scenes blood-sweat-tears aren't as sexy as showing the results, but it's important that people realize that taking control of your life and making positive changes don't happen over night, and (usually) don't happen without a lot of work and elbow grease.

Ken

Kudos, Carl.

I've been working toward something that's starting to take off a little, but it didn't and it won't happen overnight. You have to put the time in.

Great post.

CarlNelson

Hey Ken,

Agreed it doesn't happen overnight and sometimes we get wrapped up in comparing ourselves to others and that drags us down a little more. Hours in are important regardless of our passion for the subject.

CathD

Hi Carl,

I really enjoyed this post. While I love hearing people's stories of their adventures or living an unconventional lifestyle, it's just not interesting, and can even be very off-putting when it's clear that people are trying to create an impressive lifestyle, rather than just living a life of being more of who they want to be and experiencing more of what they want to experience. Being REAL, free and fully self-expressed is the thing that makes any person interesting and delightful, and unfortunately being REAL is still rather unconventional.

Thanks for being REAL in this post.

Cath

CarlNelson

I love the way you put that: "people are trying to create an impressive lifestyle", it's like the lifestyle design version of the Jones's.

Cody McKibben

Thought provoking post Carl! This definitely applies to me. I've busted ass to make my business work from anywhere, I sweat, cry, and bleed to give my clients the best, and in return I get to live a great life that I love. But you're right, we gotta keep it all in perspective and acknowledge that "lifestyle design" and all isn't for everyone. Cheers man, Stumbed. ;)