Signs of Spring are everywhere, and exciting things are afoot in Life Design! My first Life Design course, which I have been prototyping with a small group over the past few months, has recently wrapped up. It’s been an exciting and inspiring journey. Over the spring, I’ll be sharing a bit about what some students have been working on, including launching a film production company, embarking on an animation project, creating an innovative online directory, and committing to a working sabbatical in London, England. Beyond their amazing projects and plans, they have all developed a clear sense of direction, and become courageous, insightful, and skilled life designers, with wisdom that will continue to guide them toward the life they want. It has been inspiring and uplifting to be part of their journey.
Over the next few months, I’ll be continuing to deliver several courses – both the Designing Your Way Forward course, and Designing your Life for Wealth. I’ll also be bringing my Life Design course to the Seven Ravens Permaculture Academy as part of their six-week spring Permaculture Design Certificate program. It’s exciting to be going back to Seven Ravens as a teacher after completing their PDC course last year.
Collaboration and community are central to the life design process. The Life Design Collective has been created to allow former students to continue building connections and collaborations with one another. Our first Life Design Convergence is planned for April, when we will bring together former students from different courses to share their ideas, projects and plans, and learn about the latest research, strategies, and tools in Life Design.
Brainstorming is one of the strategies we use in Life Design to generate ideas. The current Harvard Business Review (March/April 2018) includes an article about an innovative approach to brainstorming called a ‘question burst’, which focuses exclusively on asking questions, rather than seeking answers. This brainstorming technique aims to: create discovery through open and honest inquiry; reframe problems (a central focus in design thinking), and; lead to novel ideas and transformative insights. Brainstorming is particularly effective in a group context. As N. Hallowell says, ‘worry feasts on a solitary victim’. Sharing a challenge or a problem with others may feel vulnerable, but it is an opportunity to summon empathy which in turn fosters idea generation and nurtures creativity. I’m looking forward to implementing this brainstorming technique in our Life Design curriculum.
Have you tried using Question Bursts as a brainstorming technique? What was your experience?
Please get in touch if you would like to learn more about Life Design. You can get involved as an individual, a student in one of our courses, or as a business or organization that is starting out, ready to grow, or considering changing direction.
Look forward to hearing from you!
