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Are you living your dream life? Perhaps more importantly, do you even know what your dream life looks like? If you’re anything like most people, you probably don’t. A 2015 study found that 69% of people feel trapped in their current routines. Moreover, over 40% of people say that they are unhappy with their lives.
Although these statistics are pretty dismal, it’s worth noting that some of the most successful people once had no idea what they were doing with their life. J. K. Rowling was a single mother living on government support when she came up with the idea for the Harry Potter series. Oprah Winfrey was fired from her first TV job. And Henry Ford failed twice before he started Ford Motor Company.
The good news is that getting unstuck in life is possible. In fact, it might actually be easier than you think, especially if you take the time to write down what you want to achieve. Indeed, studies show that people who write down their goals are almost twice as likely to achieve them than those who do not.
The biggest problem most people encounter when it comes to reaching their goals is figuring out where to start. Chances are, you have more than one goal. Moreover, it’s highly unlikely that all your goals fall within just one category. If you were only interested in accumulating wealth, all you’d have to do is draw up a financial roadmap. But what about your social life? And what about your health?
This is where Lifebook Online comes in. An on-demand online course, Lifebook Online claims it can help you realize who you are, what you want, and how you can achieve your vision of success in the most critical areas of your life. But is Lifebook Online any good? And is it worth your time and money? Let’s find out in this Lifebook review.
What Is Lifebook Online?
Lifebook Online is a six-week-long online course created by Jon and Missy Butcher. You can access it on any device via Mindvalley, an online university focused on “personal growth, self-education, and entrepreneurship” (in short: everything they didn’t teach you at school).
One of the most popular courses on the platform, Lifebook Online promises to help you write your “lifebook” or a master plan for your life. The idea is that once you have a blueprint for your ideal life, it becomes much easier to achieve your goals, and in consequence, turn your dream life into your real life.
Whereas most self-help courses focus on a specific area of your life (i.e., your career, relationships, fitness, etc.) Lifebook Online encompasses all of the most important areas of your life in general. That’s because Jon and Missy believe that you can have it all — health, wealth, and love, among other things — without needing to sacrifice everything else.
Who are Jon and Missy Butcher?
Jon and Missy Butcher are serial entrepreneurs. According to their website, they have founded over a dozen companies, including Lifebook, Precious Moments, The Black Star Project, and Purity Organic Coffee.
The Butchers’ purpose in life is simple: to create the best possible life they can, for themselves and those they love, while at the same time, helping those around them do the same. Hence Lifebook Online.
Although Missy appears in the Q&A sections, Lifebook Online is led mainly by Jon, who created the Lifebook method after going through a difficult emotional time in his life. Fully committed to solving his problems, he turned to self-help books and personal development programs. These proved useful, so Jon kept the notes he made on his self-discovery journey in a binder, which he called his “lifebook.”
Although Jon’s lifebook helped ease his anxiety, he soon realized that jotting down ideas in a haphazard manner wasn’t enough. He recognized that there were certain areas in his life he simply could not afford to overlook. So he started categorizing his thoughts.
It would be an understatement to say that Jon got addicted to thinking about the kind of person he wanted to become and the kind of life he wanted to lead. Over the years, he became crystal clear on what he wanted in each area of his life, and why.
Then, one day, Jon says he was walking through his garden when he realized: the vision he had about his life had become his reality. According to him, it’s all thanks to his lifebook.
How Much Does Lifebook Cost?
Jon and Missy Butcher offer a completely free masterclass to any interested students. This masterclass will give you a taste of what to expect from the full-sized curriculum before having to pay for the full thing.
Sooner or later, though, you’ll want to enroll in the entire Lifebook course, and that’ll knock you back $1,250 $449 (with current discounted pricing). This may seem like a big chunk of money (and it is), but keep in mind the high value you will potentially gain from the class. And, you do have an additional safety net available – you can ask for a full refund within 15 days of purchase if you’re unsatisfied with Lifebook Online. No questions asked.
The only downside to this is that if you decide to go for the refund, you’ll lose access to the program (but not the templates and other resources you’ve downloaded already). That makes sense, though, as Jon and Missy Butchers have put a massive amount of time, work, and effort into creating the best class possible.
Note that, unlike almost all other Mindvalley courses, Lifebook Online is only sold separately and is not included in Mindvalley Membership.
How Does Lifebook Online Work?
Here’s how you can get started with Lifebook Online, and what you can expect.
1. Join the program
Signing up for Lifebook Online is easy. All you have to do is fill in your billing information, like your name, country, and credit card or PayPal details. And that’s it!
Remember: if you hit all of the requirements, you will get your deposit back at the end of the course.
2. Complete the warm-up
Before you can begin the weekly courses, you need to complete the warm-up. The warm-up includes a welcome video, a pre-quest, and a video that introduces you to the Lifebook framework.
The warm-up is also where you’ll find instructions on how to join the Lifebook Online tribe (great for meeting other like-minded individuals taking this course) and FAQ videos. A PDF version of Jon’s personal lifebook is also available for download in this section.
Whatever you do, don’t skip the pre-quest or the Lifebook assessment. It measures your current life satisfaction and is something you’ll refer back to at the end of the program. You also need to complete it to get your refund.
The assessment takes about 20 minutes to complete and covers different aspects of your life. Some of the questions are relatively straightforward, whereas others may require some thought and may even feel a little awkward.
The key thing to remember here is that you need to be as truthful as possible. There are no right or wrong answers. Besides, no one but you will be able to see your answers anyway!
At the end of the assessment, you’ll get a “life quotient” or a score. The goal is to improve it.
3. Familiarize yourself with the 12 categories of life
The program covers 12 different areas of life. These are:
Every week for six weeks, students focus on two areas, which are interlinked.
Jon recommends doing all 12 lifebook categories, even if you don’t think they’re relevant to you. For example, you might not have kids or plan on having any in the future. However, the chapter on parenting can help you improve your relationship with other children in your life, like your nieces or nephews.
That being said, your lifebook is yours. If you want to skip a specific chapter, you’re welcome to do so. Similarly, you can add categories that are important to you but don’t appear in Lifebook Online.
4. Watch the videos
Each chapter includes video recordings that are about an hour and a half long. However, since the videos are divided into smaller subsections, they’re unlikely to overwhelm you.
During the videos, Jon not only explains why a specific category matters. He also shows you how to create a:
- Premise. What do you think about this area in your life?
- Vision. What do you desire from this area in your life?
- Purpose. Why do you desire these things?
- Strategies. How are you going to get there?
5. Fill in your Lifebook
The videos are just one part of the Lifebook Online course. You’re also supposed to fill in your own lifebook as you go along.
An update to the course in 2022 gives student a fully online lifebook template to work with, rather than the previous Word and PDF formats that were quite clunky to handle. While I had already completed the course in 2020 and have not redone my entire lifebook with this new template, I can tell from my testing of it that I would have benefited from the additional guidance that this new template provides.
Each of the 12 areas comes with a template (which you can download in Word format) and inspiring quotes and stock photos (available in PDF format). Although you can complete your entire lifebook in Word, nothing is stopping you from writing your lifebook by hand or even drawing it out.
During the videos, Jon gives you eight minutes to fill out each area in your lifebook. That being said, the videos are pre-recorded. So, you can pause them anytime and take as much time as you need.
Don’t know what to write? Jon gives plenty of examples you might want to include in your lifebook. Some of these come from his own lifebook, whereas others are borrowed from community members. If a thought resonates with you, Jon encourages you to take it, adapt it if you need to, and make the most of it.
By the way, you can write as much or as little in each section as you want. Jon tends to write full-blown essays, whereas Missy prefers short bullet-points.
6. Make time for weekly FAQ videos
Each week ends with pre-recorded FAQ videos that feature both Jon and Missy. During these videos, Jon and Missy answer commonly asked questions.
Some of the questions asked might be more general, like “how to make sure our category purpose is strong?”
However, most relate specifically to the two areas studied that week. One of the questions Jon and Missy answered at the end of week two (which was all about emotional life and character) was, “how do you handle people who are not aligned with your character?”
Each Q&A video comes with timestamps, so you can jump straight to the question that interests you.
Some of the sections also come with additional reference material. For example, section two includes a PDF titled “How is the Lifebook Community using these uncertain times to further their growth.” I found it interesting and motivating to see how other people are making the most of the difficulties created by the recent COVID-19 pandemic across the world.
7. The post-quest
The post-quest is exactly like the pre-quest in that you have to answer a number of different questions about the 12 areas of your life. Once again, your answers are scored. What you want to see here is an increase in your score compared to the initial test.
Since the score is broken down by categories, you can see where you have improved the most. You can also see how you’ve improved your life overall by taking Lifebook Online.
8. Print and bind your lifebook
If your lifebook only lives on your computer, you might want to print it out and bind it. Jon and Missy believe that doing so will help keep you accountable.
How Long Does It Take to Complete Lifebook Online?
If you want to make the most out of Lifebook Online, you’ll want to set aside between three and six hours a week.
Most people spend about 3 hours watching the videos and 15 to 30 minutes personalizing each chapter template. You might also feel the need to spend some time reflecting, meditating, and visualizing your future life.
I’ve Completed Lifebook Online. What Now?
Read it! And read it often. This will help you stay focused on your goals and see them through to the end.
You might also find the need to update your lifebook as you achieve your goals or as your circumstances and specific visions change. Indeed, Jon and Missy say that you should be working on your lifebook for the rest of your life. It is called your life book, after all.
Conclusion: Is Lifebook Online Worth It?
If you’re not happy with the life you’re living or feel stuck in a rut, Lifebook Online might be just what you need to change your life for the better.
Instead of focusing on one area of your life, Lifebook Online goes over them all. This is important because even though you may be successful financially if your social life is lacking or you can’t stay in shape, you probably won’t be happy. A balanced life is not only possible. It’s the key to real success.
However, Lifebook Online doesn’t necessarily tell you how to achieve your goals. Rather, it helps you clarify who you are and what you want from life, which is far more important. After all, if you don’t know what your dream life looks like, how are you supposed to build it?
This approach might not suit everyone, though. If you’re looking for fast results, you’re better off choosing a different self-help program. Lifebook Online requires a lot of effort. Jon gives you the tools, but you have to do the actual work. That’s because only you know what you want in life and how best to achieve those things.
That being said, if you do follow the program step-by-step, at the end of it, you’ll have a customized game plan for life. Then, it’s up to you to make the most of it.
And, since Lifebook online is totally free (if you complete it within the specified timeframe), what have you got to lose? Still not sure? Check out Jon and Missy’s free masterclass to get a taste of what’s to come if you enroll in Lifebook Online.
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