Explaining Lifestyle Design = Uncomfortable Discussion

Whenever I get into a discussion with people about what I do for a living and I explain that I do “a bit of this, a bit of that”, the conversation often drifts towards the whys and wherefores of my situation. Why I don’t have a traditional job, why I’m travelling down the path I’ve chosen etc. Mixed in with these discussions are my views on shunning debt, working 9-5, living more deliberately and exploring passions. The problem is that that can sound very preachy and sometimes as is if I’m gloating. Perhaps it comes from a sense of my own insecurity.

People often get defensive about their chosen path and whilst I respect their chosen path, it’s diametrically opposed to mine and therefore being defensive about it makes the whole discussion rather uncomfortable. So what generally happens is that I try and downplay my arrangements so there are no feelings of envy or inadequacy. As a result I just end up sounding like a lazy bum with nothing better to do with my time than sit on the couch (not an entirely false assertion!).

So something that I’m so excited about is now something that I can only really talk to like-minded people about. Perhaps people just freak out when they start thinking about their own lives. Whatever the case, I think it’s important for all lifestyle designers to keep the preachiness factor in mind when talking to people that might not necessarily want to look at their lives with a critical eye.

I’m not sure if anyone else faces these situations, but I’d love to hear about it.