What if the life you’re living currently feels a bit off?

Burnett & Evans bust myths and offer a fix

Joanne McHugh

Jun 24, 2025

Book of the Month: Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. “You weren’t put on this earth to work eight hours a day at a job you hate until the time comes to die……You can use design thinking to create a life that is meaningful, joyful, and fulfilling,” said Bill Burnett and Dave Evans.

Dysfunctional Belief: If you are successful, you will be happy. Reframe: True happiness comes from designing a life that works for you.

Dysfunctional belief: I should know where I’m going! Reset: I won’t always know where I’m going—but I can always know whether I’m going in the right direction.

Dysfunctional belief: Work is not supposed to be enjoyable; that’s why they call it work. Reset: Enjoyment is a guide to finding the right work for you.

Dysfunctional Belief: I need to figure out my best possible life, make a plan, and then execute it. Reframe: There are multiple great lives (and plans) within me, and I get to choose which one to build my way forward to next.

“There is no one idea for your life. There are many lives you could live happily and productively, and there are lots of different paths you could take to live each of those productive, amazingly different lives,” said Bill Burnett and Dave Evans.

According to Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, “Life designers need to embrace two philosophies: (1) You choose better when you have lots of good ideas to choose from; (2) You never choose your first solution to any problem.”

“The plain and simple truth is that you will live many different lives in this lifetime. If the life you are currently living feels a bit off, don’t worry; life design gives you endless mulligans. You can do it over at any point, at any time. ‘Correction shots’ are always allowed,” said Bill Burnett and Dave Evans.

“A well-designed life is not a life of drudgery. You weren’t put on this earth to work eight hours a day at a job you hate until the time comes to die……You can use design thinking to create a life that is meaningful, joyful, and fulfilling,” said Bill Burnett and Dave Evans.

The Things Your Mom Should Have Told You Book of the Month is Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

In the olden days, moms used to clip articles from newspapers for their kids if they thought it was something they needed to know. I’m keeping an eye out for things that you might have missed that may be helpful to you.

This week’s clips:

Does SPF 100 offer double the protection of SPF 50? Dr. Lucy McBride of Are You Okay? gives the lowdown on sunscreen and explains why blocking all the UVB rays might not be good for your health.

Most people know that networking is a powerful career-building tool, but how do you build a network from scratch? The author of 100 Lunches with Strangers provides a simple, step-by-step guide.

Are you drifting away from a friend? The Guardian suggests 10 questions you can ask a friend to help get your relationship back on track.

Things Your Mom Should Have Told You

What if the life you’re living currently feels a bit off?

Burnett & Evans bust myths and offer a fix

This week’s clips:

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