Defining Lifestyle

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Word Everyone Uses, Few Understand

“Lifestyle.” It’s a term that permeates our modern lexicon. We see it in magazine headlines promising the “CEO Lifestyle,” in advertisements selling a “Luxury Lifestyle,” and on social media feeds showcasing a “Minimalist Lifestyle” or a “Wellness Lifestyle.” It’s often presented as an aesthetic—a collection of curated possessions, exotic travel destinations, and photogenic meals.

But this surface-level interpretation is a pale shadow of its true meaning. If lifestyle were merely about what we own or how our lives appear in a filtered photo, it would be a hollow pursuit, a constant and exhausting performance for an unseen audience.

So, what are we truly talking about when we talk about lifestyle?

At its most profound and practical level, lifestyle is the unique, dynamic architecture of your daily existence. It is the compound effect of your consistent habits, conscious choices, deeply held values, and the environments you inhabit. It’s not about the car you drive, but about the daily commute you experience. It’s not about the brand of your yoga pants, but about the commitment to moving your body. It is the operating system of your life, determining your performance, your well-being, and ultimately, your sense of fulfillment.

This article is a deep dive into defining this multifaceted concept. We will move beyond the buzzword to explore its philosophical roots, deconstruct its core components, understand the forces that shape it, and ultimately, provide you with the framework to become the conscious architect of your own life.

Beyond the Aesthetic: A Philosophical and Historical Context

The question of “how to live” is not a new one, born from Instagram and consumer culture. It is one of the oldest and most central questions in human philosophy.

Aristotle and the concept of Eudaimonia: Ancient Greek philosophers pondered the idea of the “good life.” Aristotle’s concept of Eudaimonia (often translated as “human flourishing” or “prosperity of the soul”) is perhaps the earliest exploration of lifestyle. For Aristotle, a flourishing life wasn’t about pleasure or wealth, but about living in accordance with virtue, reason, and one’s true purpose (arete). This is the foundational idea that a good life is an active construction, not a passive state.
Henry David Thoreau and Walden: In the 19th century, Thoreau’s experiment in simple living at Walden Pond was a radical act of lifestyle design. He sought to “live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” His work is a testament to the idea that lifestyle is about intentionality and stripping away the non-essential to find meaning.
The 20th Century and The Rise of Consumer Identity: The term “lifestyle” itself gained prominence in the mid-20th century, coinciding with postwar economic growth, suburbanization, and the rise of mass marketing. Advertisers began selling not just products, but identities and ways of life. This is where the modern, often superficial, association with material goods began to take root.

Understanding this history is crucial. It allows us to reclaim the term from the marketplace and return it to its deeper meaning: the ongoing project of crafting a life of purpose and meaning.

The Core Components: Deconstructing Your Lifestyle Blueprint

If lifestyle is architecture, then it is built upon several key pillars. A life that is strong and resilient cannot neglect its foundation. These pillars are interconnected; a weakness in one can cause stress and instability in others.

1. The Foundational Pillar: Health & Wellness
This is the non-negotiable bedrock of your entire lifestyle. Without physical and mental vitality, every other pursuit becomes infinitely more difficult.

Physical Health: Encompasses nutrition (how you fuel your body), physical activity (how you move your body), sleep (how you restore your body), and preventive care.
Mental & Emotional Health: Encompasses your stress management, emotional resilience, self-talk, and psychological well-being. Practices like meditation, therapy, journaling, and digital detoxes fall here.

2. The Purpose Pillar: Vocation & Fulfillment
How you spend the majority of your waking hours is a fundamental part of your lifestyle. This extends beyond your job title to your relationship with work itself.

Career & Work: This includes not just what you do for income, but your sense of purpose, engagement, and satisfaction in your professional life.
Passion Projects & Creativity: The activities you pursue for pure joy and fulfillment, outside of economic necessity. This is where hobbies, side projects, and artistic expression live.
Lifelong Learning: The continuous pursuit of knowledge and skill development, keeping your mind sharp and engaged with the world.

3. The Resource Pillar: Financial Flow
Money is a primary tool that enables or restricts your choices in other pillars. Your financial lifestyle is defined by your relationship with this tool.

Earning: Your income streams and your feelings about your ability to generate resources.
Spending & Consumption: Your habits and values around money outflow. Are your spending choices aligned with your deeper values?
Saving & Investing: Your practices for building future security and freedom. This reflects patience and long-term thinking.
Financial Mindset: Your underlying beliefs about money—whether it’s a source of anxiety, freedom, control, or opportunity.

4. The Connection Pillar: Social & Relationships
Humans are inherently social beings. The quality of your connections is a massive determinant of your happiness and longevity.

Intimate Relationships: The depth and health of your partnership(s).
Family & Friendships: The network of support, love, and camaraderie you cultivate.
Community: Your sense of belonging to a larger group, whether based on location (neighborhood), interest (clubs, groups), or belief (religious or spiritual communities).

5. The Container Pillar: Environment & Space
You are profoundly influenced by your surroundings. Your environment is the container in which your life unfolds.

Physical Home: Is your personal space cluttered, chaotic, calm, or inspiring? Your home should be a sanctuary that supports your desired lifestyle.
Local Environment: Do you thrive in a bustling urban center, a quiet suburban town, or a rural natural setting? The geography and culture of your location shape your daily routines and opportunities.
Digital Environment: This modern addition is critical. How do you manage your digital spaces—your email inbox, social media feeds, and smartphone use? Is it a tool for connection or a source of distraction and anxiety?
Natural World: Your connection to and time spent in nature, which is proven to reduce stress and improve well-being.

6. The Meaning Pillar: Spirituality & Values
This is the pillar that provides context and purpose to all the others. It’s your internal compass.

Values & Ethics: Your core principles that guide your decisions and behaviors. What is truly important to you? Honesty? Creativity? Adventure? Security?
Spirituality & Religion: Your connection to something larger than yourself, whether through organized religion, personal spiritual practices, meditation, or a sense of awe in the universe.
Purpose: Your overarching “why.” What is your contribution? What gives your life a sense of meaning and direction?

The Forces That Shape Us: How Lifestyles Are Formed

Your current lifestyle is not created in a vacuum. It is the product of a constant interplay between three powerful forces:

Conscious Intention: These are the deliberate choices you make based on your values and goals. I am choosing to walk to work for my health and the environment. This is you acting as the architect.
Unconscious Habit: This is the autopilot mode. Many of our daily actions are automated routines—from brushing our teeth to scrolling on our phones. These habits, good or bad, form the invisible scaffolding of your life. I automatically reach for my phone when I feel a moment of boredom. This is the default blueprint you’re following.
External Influence: This is the immense pressure exerted by the world around you. It includes:
- Culture & Society: The norms, expectations, and “scripts” you are given for how life should be lived.
- Economics: Your socioeconomic background and current status, which dictate access to resources and opportunities.
- Marketing & Media: The relentless messaging telling you what you need to buy or achieve to be happy.
- Family & Upbringing: The modeled behaviors and beliefs you inherited from your family of origin.

The journey to a more intentional lifestyle involves bringing more of your choices from the realms of “Unconscious Habit” and “External Influence” into the light of “Conscious Intention.”

From Definition to Design: How to Architect Your Lifestyle

Understanding what lifestyle is is only half the battle. The next step is active design. This is not a one-time project but an ongoing process of editing and refinement.

Step 1: The Lifestyle Audit
Conduct a thorough and honest audit across all six pillars. Rate your current satisfaction in each area on a scale of 1-10. Ask yourself:

Health: Do I have energy? Do I feel strong? How is my sleep?
Vocation: Does my work feel meaningful? Do I have time for my passions?
Finance: Does my financial situation cause stress? Do my spending habits reflect my values?
Relationships: Are my relationships deep and supportive? Do I feel connected?
Environment: Does my home feel like a sanctuary? Does my location suit me?
Spirituality: Do I have a sense of purpose? What are my core values?

Step 2: Envision Your Ideal State
Don’t focus on things. Focus on feelings and experiences. Imagine a day in your ideal life five years from now.

How do you feel when you wake up?
What are you doing?
Who are you with?
What does your environment look like?
What have you accomplished?

Step 3: Identify the Gaps and Set Intentions
Compare your audit (Step 1) with your vision (Step 2). Where are the biggest gaps? For each pillar, set a broad, values-based intention.

Instead of a rigid goal like “Lose 20 lbs,” set an intention: “I intend to feel energetic and vital in my body.”
Instead of “Make more money,” set an intention: “I intend to achieve financial peace of mind.”

Step 4: Design Systems, Not Just Goals
Goals are endpoints; systems are the processes that get you there. Focus on building systems that make the right action the default action.

Intention: “I intend to feel energetic and vital.”
System: “I will prepare a healthy lunch the night before work.” / “I will walk for 30 minutes every day after dinner.”
Intention: “I intend to achieve financial peace of mind.”
System: “I will automate a transfer of 10% of my paycheck to savings every month.” / “I will review my subscriptions and cancel one unused service.”

Step 5: Curate Your Environments for Success
Willpower is a limited resource. Design your environments to make good habits easy and bad habits hard.

Want to read more? Place a book on your nightstand and charge your phone in another room.
Want to eat healthier? Wash and chop vegetables as soon as you get home from the grocery store.
Want less social media? Delete the apps from your phone and use a browser instead.

Step 6: Embrace Iteration, Not Perfection
Your life is not a static portrait; it’s a flowing river. Your needs and circumstances will change. Regularly review your lifestyle. What’s working? What isn’t? Be kind to yourself. This is a practice of progress, not perfection. Adjust your systems and intentions as you grow.

Conclusion: Your Life, Your Masterpiece

Defining lifestyle is the first step toward claiming ownership of it. It is the recognition that your life is not something that simply happens to you, but something you actively build with you, one choice, one habit, one day at a time.

It is the most personal and important project you will ever work on. It requires brutal honesty about where you are, courageous vision for where you want to be, and compassionate consistency in building the bridge between the two.

At lifefvr.com, our mission is to provide you with the tools, insights, and inspiration for this very project. Your lifestyle is your masterpiece. It’s time to pick up the brush.

Your journey begins with a single question: Which of the six pillars needs your attention first? Share your intention in the comments below.