Hey, it's Rachel Cook, your modern mentor. And in this episode, I'm excited to share a process that you can follow to design your dream life. Because seriously, who among us couldn't use a bit of added sparkle in our day to day? In the earliest days of my business, I wasn't so much running toward a passion or purpose,

but I was running away from my disengaging full-time job.

And that absence of purpose, it scared me.

This was the next phase of my life, and I wanted it to be infused with intention.

Also, I had no idea how to achieve this. And then one day, browsing aimlessly in a bookstore,

which, by the way, is a tactic I recommend anytime you're struggling with literally anything,

I stumbled on a book called Designing Your Life, How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life

by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans.

At first glance, it sounded a little squishy, but I noticed the book is based on a course

of the same name authored by two professors who famously teach it at Stanford University,

an institution not really known for its squishiness.

So I grabbed it.

Its purpose is to help you answer this question.

Can we apply design thinking to the wicked problem of designing your job, your career, and even your life?

Evans and Burnett believe we can.

Design thinking is a means of user-centered design. It's about designing not the best

outcome, but rather the best path for a particular user. In this case, the user is you. Today, I'll

introduce you to the five phases of the design thinking process and how Burnett and Evans

would encourage you to harness it

in designing your ideal life. Whether you're on a quest for joy, change, or a fresh start,

welcome to your new beginning. Phase one, empathize. Design thinking begins with empathy

because you can only design for a user you understand.

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