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Everybody dreams of an ideal lifestyle. I bet you too have an idea of your ideal lifestyle hidden somewhere in the groves of your heart, folds of your brain, or the dungeons of your mind.
How should an ideal lifestyle be like? Have you found your ideal lifestyle? Or maybe you’re already living it.
How does your lifestyle become ‘ideal’? Ideal, by definition, means perfect.
Does an ideal lifestyle mean that it is really the best lifestyle or the one that seems the best to you?
We’ll discuss about these issues, but first let’s clear up what lifestyle is all about.
What is a Lifestyle
Simply defined, life style is the way a person lives. It’s a way of life, or a style of living.
Even groups of people, societies, and culture are said to have a lifestyle, which is a set defined way of living.
Lifestyle stems from your attitudes, beliefs, and desires. Even your values and principles contribute to the formation of your lifestyle.
Everybody has a lifestyle, though it may differ from person to person, or culture to culture. Even people who have no style – actually have a lifestyle!
Now, you all try to define your lifestyle in your own way. Obviously, because it is your life, so you know best how and what to do with it, isn’t it?
Some people prefer to conform to a way of living adopted by the larger part of the society, while some force their way to create their unique lifestyles, to be different from the others or to defy the norms.
However, at this stage we need to ask one question.
What is the Purpose of a Lifestyle
Ideally, a lifestyle or a way of living is supposed to be your guideline to live life. It guides you to live in a certain way that is beneficial and helpful.
An ideal lifestyle is meant to protect you from dangers and destructions. It helps you to choose the right path and do the right things so that you’re happy.
A lifestyle ideally ensures your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness. An ideal lifestyle delivers quality of life.
But what happens if you don’t choose your lifestyle carefully and include some behaviors or aspects that stop you from achieving the perfection you desire.
Complications of Lifestyles
In the present era, it is common to hear of lifestyle diseases. These are often referred to as the diseases of civilization.
The main reason for the lifestyle diseases is your faulty lifestyle – mainly, sedentary lifestyle, wrong diet, and bad habits.
The diseases that are grouped as lifestyle diseases are heart disease, obesity, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, and others.
There are more lifestyle related diseases that are associated with alcohol, smoking, and drug abuse.
In my earlier post “What stops you from living a healthy lifestyle”, I’ve written in detail about the reasons for an unhealthy lifestyle. I had also mentioned a golden rule “DEAL” to deal with the issue.
That is – Diet control, Exercise daily, Avoid tobacco, and Limit alcohol.
The dilemma is that in spite of knowing the consequences of such faulty ways of living, you still directly or indirectly consider them as part of your ideal lifestyle.
If you wish to have quality of life, then you need to understand the difference between a healthy lifestyle and an unhealthy one.
The sheer purpose of a lifestyle is nullified if you adopt life threatening behaviors and habits into your lifestyle.
What Goes Wrong in Creating An Ideal Lifestyle
In order to create your lifestyle, it is advised to first clearly know what you want. You need to create a picture of your ideal lifestyle.
Now, this can be very subjective, depending upon the likes or dislikes of a person. You need to be very specific about each and every aspect of your envisioned ideal lifestyle, and you’ve to dream it regularly.
The aspects can range from your relationships, home environment, daily life, health, self care, enjoyment, values, purpose, wealth, and career. You need to know what is important to you.
You can have any lifestyle you want, if you’re passionate enough, and take action by working methodically to get it.
It takes time and hard work, but it is possible. Of course, you need to be realistic and logical.
However, if your likes and dislikes, wishes and wants have negative implications, then the lifestyle you create will be negative.
If you don’t understand what you really want, you cannot create the correct picture of your life. Moreover, you need to lay emphasis on your needs rather than your wants.
Your desires may be wild, but you need to make mild choices so that your life’s journey is smooth and jerk free.
How You CAN Live An Ideal Lifestyle
Even if you think that your lifestyle is an ideal one, it may not be so. It may just be a lifestyle that you desire, but far from perfect or correct.
If the foundation of a building is weak or faulty, the building faces the risk of falling. Similarly, if your base assumptions or life choices are wrong, you’ll develop a faulty lifestyle.
An ideal lifestyle is one that has gone through the tests and trials of time, which has been checked for its consequences and complications.
Such are the best lifestyle or the absolutely ideal lifestyles. Millions of people can follow that lifestyle and achieve the same safe results, and lead a happy life.
But you can also choose a different lifestyle that seems best to you.
However, when you decide to design or create your ideal lifestyle; you’ve to be careful and make sure that the foundation is strong.
Don’t choose habits, attitudes, beliefs, or a way of living that is harmful to your physical and mental health.
As a result your emotional health also suffers, and you’re left in no position to use your spiritual resource.
Don’t just choose any lifestyle. Choose a lifestyle that is active and not sedentary, has good habits and no bad habits, and its diet is not based on unhealthy food.
Avoid a lifestyle that only considers physical comfort and facilities for rest and pleasure.
Then you’ll surely love your ideal lifestyle because it will not lead to lifestyle diseases, and you’ll be really happy.
Make wise lifestyle choices. An ideal lifestyle is one that delivers happiness.
If you’re healthy physically, active mentally, strong emotionally, and mindful spiritually for a long period, then you really have an ideal lifestyle.
Over to you –
Do you like your ideal lifestyle? Is your lifestyle risk free and promises a quality of life? Do you think there can be a universal ideal lifestyle – a lifestyle that is totally correct and would suit everybody?
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