A principle-based approach to life that aims to increase a person's sense of control over their life. The theory is that happiness in life comes from increasing one's sense of control, where the term "control" can be defined as
the ability to generate, whether directly or indirectly, desirable outcomes, and/or the ability to stop or prevent (directly or indirectly) undesirable outcomes.
Of course, having absolute control over anything is impossible. However, increasing one's sense of control in life is not. Control is a matter of degree and largely a matter of perception.
Applying strategic living in one's life implies cultivating a clear sense of purpose, developing preparedness for the challenges one may face, and maintaining an unrelenting focus on improvement.
Strategic living can be contrasted with the concept of tactical living - the common approach to life (including work, business, relationships, etc.) that focuses on problem-solving and results-creation. Strategic living is an approach that focuses on improving one's positioning over solving problems, on increasing one's level of control over simply generating results.