Live by design not by default

What was the best advice you have ever been given? For me it came from my mum’s wisdom: Live by design not by default.

As a filmmaker I spend most of my time dreaming and it leaks into every aspect of my life. Questions about my future flood my mind. Where do I want to be in 5, 10 or 20 years time? What do I want my life to look like? What will my house look like? What will my career be? It is so easy to get caught in the future but it pulls you out of the present. This is where my mum comes in.

During a daydreaming session filled with adventures and stories mum stopped me and simply said: Why aren’t you living this life now?

Hang on. I never thought of that. Can I do that? Is that allowed? I got so caught up in what I wanted in the future I never considered what I wanted right now. My perspective had shifted.

I could keep on going like a machine through everyday and live on default settings or I could design my life to whatever I wanted. Adventures with friends — organised. Writing films and TV shows — started. Storytelling through a lens — happening daily.

I took my dreams and implemented them into my day to day life. I started to live by design and not by default.