Designing Your Life Backwards

Apr 16

Watch on Youtube!

Or Listen on Apple Podcast!

In this solo episode of the On The Rise Podcast Faith-Driven Leaders Series, I’m sharing a framework that honestly reshaped how I look at my life, my marriage, my role as a dad, and how I lead in business.

This was inspired by Living Forward by Michael Hyatt, but more importantly, it challenged me to start thinking differently. Not just grinding day to day, but actually stepping back and asking, Where is all of this headed?

I walk through what it looks like to design your life backwards, starting with the end in mind, writing your own eulogy. Yeah, it’s uncomfortable, but it’s powerful. Then turning that vision into real, scheduled commitments. Because if it’s not on the calendar, it usually doesn’t happen.

I also tie this back to Scripture, because at the end of the day, success without alignment is empty. This is really for anyone who feels productive on the surface but knows deep down they might be drifting.

Short episode. Personal one. But if you or someone you know is building something meaningful and starting to ask, “What’s this all for?” this one’s worth a listen.

Summary

1. You Can Be Productive and Still Be Drifting
I’ll start with a confession. I was probably the most productive, unintentional person I knew. My calendar was full, the business was growing, I loved my family, and I had faith. But if you actually followed me around for a week and mapped where my time went, it didn’t line up with what I said mattered. That was the wake-up call. Busyness and direction are not the same thing.

“Somewhere along the way, you probably stopped choosing your life and just started responding to it. That was the problem.”

2. Most People Plan Their Vacation Better Than Their Life
One of the biggest takeaways for me from Living Forward by Michael Hyatt is how simple and convicting this is. We plan vacations because there’s a deadline and real consequences if we don’t. But with our lives, the consequences of not planning show up slowly over time. You feel it years later. In your marriage. With your kids. In the relationships that never got the attention they deserved.

“The consequences for not planning your life are slow and quiet. You feel it when your kids are teenagers and you barely know them.”

3. Write Your Eulogy Before You Need One
The exercise that really anchored this for me was writing my own eulogy. Not because it’s morbid, but because it forces clarity. It made me ask, what do I actually want the people closest to me to say about my life? And then I had to face the gap between that vision and what was true in the present. That gap is where the work is.

“I wasn’t living the life that I hoped my wife and my kids and my friends would say about me. The gap between what I wrote and what was currently true, that gap is the work.”

4. Assess Every Life Account Honestly
This isn’t just about business or finances. You have to look at every area of your life. Faith, marriage, parenting, health, friendships, work, finances. For each one, I had to get honest about where I was, define where I wanted to be, and decide what I was actually going to do about it.

“Where am I making deposits? Where am I overdrawn?”

5. Intentions Without a Schedule Are Just Wishes
This is where most people fall off, and honestly where I did for a long time. It’s easy to say you want to be more present or more intentional. It’s a lot harder to put it on the calendar. Real change happened when I started getting specific. Times, days, commitments that were measurable and scheduled.

“Wanting is not a plan. The plan forces you to get specific. This is how intention becomes reality.”

6. Life Planning Is an Act of Stewardship, Not Self-Help
For me, this isn’t about self-improvement. It’s about stewardship. Psalm 90:12 talks about numbering our days so we can live with wisdom. That’s the heart behind this. It’s asking God how to faithfully use the life, the family, and the season He’s given me.

“Life planning done right is really an act of stewardship. You are asking, Lord, how do I make this count? How do I invest these days so that when I give an account, I can say I didn’t waste what You entrusted to me.”

7. Financial Freedom Is the Starting Point, Not the Destination
For a lot of us in business or investing, we think financial freedom is the goal. I used to think that too. But it’s really just the starting line. The real question is what you do with that freedom. That’s where legacy, generosity, mentorship, and impact actually come from.

“Financial freedom is just the starting point. What kind of legacy do you want to leave for your spouse, your kids, your community, your church, and ultimately the world?”

8. Your First Life Plan Is Just One Page
If you’re listening to this, don’t overcomplicate it. You don’t need a perfect plan. Block out a couple of quiet hours this week. Get away from the noise. Start with your eulogy. Write one honest sentence for each major area of your life. Then make one real, scheduled commitment.

One page. One step. One hour of honesty.

“It will do more than another year of grinding without direction.”