What form of life do I want to have? My life, my contribution
This tool enlarges the traditional view of career and rather introduces the notion of “form of life” (Jean Guichard) to help the client design their active life taking into account different dimensions and spheres.
Inspiration for the tool
- Concevoir et orienter sa vie: Les dialogue en life design – Guichard, Bagnali, Cohen-Scali, Pouyaud, Robinet (2017)
- The Human Condition – Hannah Arendt (1958)
- Cohen-Scali, V., Drabik-Podgórna, V., Podgórny, M., Duarte, M. E., Guichard, J., Aisenson, G., Di Fabio, A., Maree, K., Masdonati, J., Nota, L., Pouyaud, J., Ribeiro, M. A., & Antonio, D. S. (2025). New perspectives for life-design interventions in the anthropocene context. Australian Journal of Career Development, 34(1), 5-17. https://doi.org/10.1177/10384162241307964
It is loosely inspired by Arendt’s approach to active life, that was heavily simplified. Hannah Arendt in her book The Human Condition (1958) distinguishes three basic human activities: labour, work, and action. She calls this the vita activa (active life).
- Labour – The activity that keeps us alive and maintains our biological needs. It’s about survival, it is repetitive and never finished, because our needs return again and again. Arendt links it to necessity.
- Work – The activity that creates durable things, objects, and institutions. It produces an artificial world that lasts longer than the person who made it. Arendt links it to usefulness and stability.
- Action – The activity that happens between people when they speak, act, and take initiative together. It’s about politics, freedom, creating something new in common life. Arendt links it to freedom and plurality (living with others).
After several iterations, the following adaptation was done for the sake of this activity :
| Column | Inspiration (Arendt) | Description |
| Caring | Labour | What or whom do I care for? Who or what do I help? What do I do that helps take care of people, nature, life? |
| Creating / producing | Work | What do I make, improve, produce? What do I create or build that makes the world better or more just? What are some durable results of my activity? |
| Engaging | Action | What choices do I make or actions do I take to support the world I want? How do I speak up, join others, or make choices that reflect the world I want to live in? |
Rationale: Why is this needed?
This activity can be used to de-emphasise the current focus on work and introduce an alternative, more complex view (“form of life”) that helps the client explore possibility of contribution to sustainability in different avenues of life.
Objectives
At the end of the session the clients and students will be able to:
- Understand the notion of the form of active life
- Consider different spheres of life and connect them to their needs and the needs of the world
- De-centre work as the only space of value or decision-making.
- Identify their agency in small, meaningful actions across life domains.
Resources needed
The table below.
Activities
1. Explain the table to the client, for example: “Many people think that careers only matter at work. But your whole life tells a story of who you are and what you care about. Let’s look at how you already contribute to the world — and what more you’d like to do.”
| Life domain | Caring What or whom do I care for? Who or what do I help? What do I do that helps take care of people, nature, life? | Creating / producing What do I make, improve, produce? What do I create or build that makes the world better or more just? What are some durable results of my activity? | Engaging What or whom do I care for? Who or what do I help? What do I do that helps take care of people, nature, life? |
| FAMILY | |||
| WORK / LEARNING | |||
| PERSONAL / SELF | |||
| COMMUNITY / SOCIETY |
2. Help them fill in the table:
Ask simple guiding questions:
Caring (focus on emotional support, physical care, daily responsibilities, concern for people or nature)
- Who depends on you? Who do you help – even in small ways?
Creating, producing (focus on building, improving, creating, maintaining, “productive labour”)
- Have you ever made something you were proud of? What have you fixed, improved, or organised recently? Have you helped change something that wasn’t working? What do you like using your hands or your ideas for? When do you feel creative or resourceful?
Engaging (focus on choices, participation, standing up for something, imagining alternatives, participating in collective action, responding to the needs of the community and world…)
- Have you ever made a decision because it felt right — even if it was hard? Do you do anything to protect the environment, help others, or improve your community? Have you ever joined a group, signed something, or supported a cause? Have you ever said “no” to something that didn’t feel good or fair?
Let them reflect freely — writing, drawing, or talking.
3. Reflect together and plan action:
- What surprised you in this activity? What would you like to do more of?
- Which small step feels exciting or possible for you now in which part?
- In which area do you already do something for a better world? Where do you already feel useful or proud?
- What domains feel strong, or neglected?
- What actions bring you joy or meaning?
Example :
| Life Domain | CARING | CREATING / PRODUCING | ENGAGING |
| FAMILY | I get up early to prepare breakfast and make sure my kids get to school. I help my daughter with anxiety… | I organise the weekly cleaning and plan meals for the week. I try to keep our home calm and stable… | I taught my kids to sort waste and not buy things we don’t need. I chose to limit screen time at home… |
| WORK / LEARNING | I make sure patients and staff work in clean, safe spaces. I support a new colleague who doesn’t speak much English… | I’ve improved how I clean to be faster and waste less product. I always leave rooms better than I found them… | I asked to be included in eco-cleaning training. I refused to throw away unused gloves and suggested donating them… |
| PERSONAL / SELF | I try to walk every day, and I listen to music to manage stress… | I’ve learned how to fix small clothes tears… | I decided to quit smoking last year and started reading again at night. I try not to buy fast fashion anymore… |
| COMMUNITY / SOCIETY | I check in on my elderly neighbor and bring her groceries… | I helped plant flowers around the building with other tenants… | I joined the school’s parents’ group to speak about healthy snacks. I signed a petition to keep the local park open… |
Example of creative use where different colours were used for different dimensions (caring, creating/producing, engaging). The participants were first invited to represent the relative time spent on different life domains:
