Alison’s Philosophy — Designing Your Life

Writing Lists and Designing Your Life

[time to listen—1:05 minutes]

Lists can be a pathway to discovering your happiness.

People need to KNOW what they enjoy and what makes them happy in order to begin their journey towards happiness. Writing lists of what you like and want are extremely useful tools in this discovery process. I’ve been writing lists of what I like and want since my childhood. They have been instrumental in helping me navigate and design my life. They have assisted me in discovering what I really appreciate about being alive and have brought clarity and awareness as to what makes me happy. Lists have also shown me when it was time to make what I call a “mid-course correction.” Throughout different phases of life, we need time to reflect on what’s working and what’s not and to decide what course we want our lives to take.

Lists are an important part in designing the life you really want. It’s important to find the time and choose a quiet location for creating your lists. I created Tropical Living to help people develop and plan mid-course corrections and design happier, more balanced lives.

Balancing Your Life

[time to listen—0:50 minutes]

Tropical Living offers solutions for designing a happier, healthier more balanced life.
Throughout the different phases of our lives, we need time to reflect on what’s working and what’s not and to decide what course we want our lives to take. Escaping to a tropical island can honestly bring you closer to your life’s happiness. What you like and want seems to float effortlessly to the surface in the beauty and tranquility of a tropical environment. Design the life you want and make mid course corrections when necessary.

Let go of toxins and clutter. Feel natural and eat clean tropical cuisine.

Give yourself permission to live in joy and breath more deeply into life.

Taking Charge of Your Time

[time to listen—0:50 minutes]

Taking charge of your life means taking charge of your time. Sometimes you’ve got to stand in front of the mirror and say “this is MY life and I’M in charge of it.” Be effective with your time so you can have more time off. The more effective we become with our time, the more likely the things that are important to us will happen. It’s about setting priorities and making ourselves come first even if it’s only for a few minutes a day. To me, taking the phone off the hook and avoiding the time vampires is a perfect way to do that. Once you know what’s important to you it’s your job then to try and preserve those things, fight to keep a bit of time to yourself each day and make time for what’s really important. Sometimes you really do have to fight to preserve your right to rest and relax. Leisure in Luxury!

What I Love About Islands

[time to listen—1:32 minutes]

While sitting on a beach and reflecting on my newfound understanding of how short life really is, I wrote a list entitled “What I Love About Islands.” This list, as well as many future lists, became a roadmap guiding me towards wiser choices. My lists teach me how and where to invest my time and energy. Written words offer clarity and direction and help weave what is essentially important into my life. Here’s my list or at least a portion of what I love about islands.

What I Love About Islands
The raw sensual appeal of nature
The warm tropical breeze and the taste of sweet, pure air
All the different shades of blue in the ocean
The bright sun shining
The blinding white sandy beaches
The lush green mountains and the huge gorgeous tropical leaves
The sound of swaying palm trees
The coral in the inviting blue waters
The thrill of discovering sea shells
Schools of magnificent tropical fish
Watching dolphins play
The morning rainbows
Ripened papayas and mangoes hanging from the trees
The mixtures of orange and pink at sunrise and sunset
The fragrances of plumeria and ginger wafting though the trades
Brightly colored tropical birds singing as they ride on the wind

Making Time for Mid-Course Corrections

[time to listen—1:07 minutes]

The time for a mid-course correction can be recognized by feelings of discontent, the need to change unhealthy behavior or habits, undesirable mind chatter, overwhelming anxiety, emotional attachments to people who do not have your best interest at heart, or depression.

Tropical Living encourages people to find the necessary time to reflect and redesign their lives. I share my favorite tropical hideaways, which have helped me to design my life. Escaping to a tropical island can honestly bring you closer to your life’s happiness. What you like and want seems to float effortlessly to the surface in the beauty and tranquility of a tropical environment. I invite you to go to a Tropical Living Renewal Vacation and make your lists of what you like and want to experience in life. Allow yourself the time and space to discover and reflect on what makes you happy. Enjoy the raw sensual appeal of tropical nature and write your lists in paradise.

Finding Your Passion

[time to listen—1:04 minutes]

Choose a destination and go. If it’s not the right one once you’re there, then make a mid-course correction. For most people, everyday life is too chaotic for personal reflection. Caught up and distracted in our busy schedules, there is often little time or energy left for peaceful introspection. It’s challenging to quiet ourselves enough to create thorough lists that honestly reflect what we desire in life. We are here to give and receive love and enjoy life. In order to begin the journey, writing lists of what you like and want is an extremely useful tool for the discovery process. Lists have assisted me in discovering what I really appreciate about being alive and have brought clarity and awareness as to what makes me happy. Throughout different phases of life, we need time to reflect on what’s working and decide what course we want our lives to take. Tropical Living provides beautiful islands and spas for developing and planning mid-course corrections to help you find your way back to yourself.

Five Factors Common to Happy People

[time to listen—0:48 minutes]

Several years ago I ran across a book called Downshifting — How to Work Less and Enjoy Life More by psychologist John Drake. Dr. Drake was a high-level executive who chose to downshift and redesign his life. What especially caught my attention was his teaching on happiness and the importance of taking the time to build closer, more intimate relationships. From his book, here are the five factors common to happy people.
Happy people:
1. Engage in enjoyable activities
2. Reach out to others
3. Maintain good health
4. Seek peace and comfort in spirituality
5. Have at least one close, intimate relationship