Stage 2: Design — Shape Your Path with Focus and Creativity

You’ve taken time to reflect and empathize with yourself—now it’s time to Design your way forward. This stage is about transforming your insights into clear intentions and bold possibilities.

Design unfolds in two key parts:

• Define — Clarify the challenges you’re ready to tackle

• Ideate — Imagine multiple futures and creative paths forward
  
  

You don’t need to solve everything at once. Instead, focus on the questions and opportunities that truly matter to you—and explore diverse ways to approach them.

“Sometimes we’re ready to work on something, and sometimes we’re really not—and that’s OK. This is not about boiling the ocean.”
— Bill Burnett & Dave Evans, Designing Your Life

Why This Stage Matters

Great design starts with focusing on the right challenges—not rushing to solutions. The Design stage helps you:

• Narrow your focus to avoid overwhelm

• Pinpoint what deserves your time, energy, and creativity

• Build a solid launchpad for imagining and experimenting

• Make intentional, aligned decisions that feel meaningful and feasible

This is your moment to pause with purpose and chart a clear, inspired course forward.

Define: Clarify Your Design Challenge

Tune into where you feel tension, curiosity, or possibility by asking:

• What feels most important to explore based on what I’ve learned about myself?

• Where do I feel stuck, unfulfilled, or uncertain?

• What decisions am I avoiding—and why?

• What change am I ready or almost ready to commit to?

• What “How might I…” question could guide me in the coming months?

Frame your focus by naming 1–2 actionable “How might I…” questions, such as:

• How might I find work that’s both creative and financially stable?

• How might I build a balanced, energized lifestyle?

• How might I transition to a new career while honoring my current responsibilities?

Explore tensions or trade-offs shaping your choices, like:

• Freedom vs. Security

• Passion vs. Practicality

• Autonomy vs. Belonging

Recognizing these helps you make aligned, authentic decisions.

Ideate: Imagine Multiple Futures

Design isn’t about finding one “right” answer. It’s about generating a variety of bold and diverse possibilities to explore.

In this phase, you’ll:

• Brainstorm freely without judgment

• Create multiple Odyssey Plans—from realistic to bold to limitless

• Visualize different life paths and how they might feel and evolve
  
  

Ask yourself:
If nothing were holding me back, what would I try?

Collaborate for Clarity and Creativity

Sharing your design challenges and ideas with a coach, mentor, or trusted friend can:

• Reveal blind spots and assumptions

• Bring fresh perspectives

• Turn vague ideas into clear opportunities

• Boost your confidence and motivation

Sometimes, simply speaking your questions aloud sparks clarity and momentum.

Use the Workbook

The Odyssey Planner Workbook guides you step-by-step through defining your challenges and imagining your futures—helping you turn reflection into deliberate design.
👉 [Download your free workbook here]

Next Step: Take Inspired Action

Once you’ve shaped your design focus and imagined your possibilities, it’s time to Act—prototype, test, and move forward with confidence.
👉 [Continue to Stage 3: Act – Prototype, Test & Take Action ›]