The Simple Sophisticate - Intelligent Living Paired with Signature Style

• 399: Eight Things I've Learned in my 46th Year

  There is an awareness available to anyone who steps fully into their forties. It often happens a couple of years after turning the big 4 - 0, but it's there, waiting for each of us to realize we are half-way through (if we are so fortunate to live into our 90s) this beautiful gift called life. This awareness prompts courage and discipline as well as motivation to just get about the business of living out the dreams we may have been too timid to try in our earlier years. We begin to see that taking care of our health is more than worth the investment. We begin to know that loving fully is the best thing to do for our life enjoyment even though we also know there will be great pain in the goodbye. That goodbye is a privilege only the brave experience by being wholly vulnerable, kind and truly giving of their true selves and accepting others as theirs. The leaning is a good thing because we see over the handrail of life that we are fortunate to have this vantage point and we are not going to toss aside the wisdom gained along the way. The leaning is both a gift and a motivator. This year, as I celebrated my 46th birthday on the tail-end of February, I wanted to continue to the annual tradition of sharing what I have learned during the past twelve months. May it inspire you embrace life even more fully and bravely than you already are and enjoy each day all the more.   Explore this episode's Show Notes on The Simply Luxurious Life blog - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast399 

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• 398: The Simple Two Word Phrase that will Transform Your Life in Extraordinary Ways, as taught by Mel Robbins (and it's not on the cover of her new book)

  "Taking back your power means reclaiming responsibility for your life. It means demanding more of yourself because time is ticking, and you've wasted enough of it worrying about things that don't matter. It means being laser focused on the things you can control, and not giving a single second to the things you can't . . . Let Me create a better life. A life that makes me proud. A life that makes me happy. A life where I use my precious energy to enjoy every single moment I will have . . . all it takes is two simple words: Let Me." —Mel Robbins, from her latest book The Let Them Theory Let me. With good reason, the first phrase of Mel Robbins' new book has been becoming commonplace, but as readers read the book, they begin to realize that if we only apply the Let Them theory to our lives, our lives will not change. It is the follow-up phrase, the action phrase that is Let Me that carries the magic that will change our lives should we brave enough to embrace it. Many of the lessons shared throughout the book overlap what is shared here on TSLL and how to live a life of contentment, a life in which we take responsibility for what is in our control and let go of what is not. Easier said than done, so it is always helpful for many different teachers with their different approaches to extol the importance of this life transforming truth for living well, to finding peace in our days and fulfillment throughout our life journey. In today's episode/post, we're going to explore what Let Me looks like in our everyday life, and if what is shared speaks to you, I highly recommend you picking up The Let Them Theory book, Mel Robbins book that was released on December 24, 2024. ~Find the Show Notes for this episode on The Simply Luxurious Life blog — https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast398 

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• 397: The Serenity of Savoring Being Single and the Abundance of Love that is Present

  With Valentine's Day right around the corner, an annual holiday to celebrate love, those we love in all its different relationship forms, it can be helpful to be reminded that love doesn't have a hierarchy. One type of relationship be it a friendship, a spouse, a parent/child, a pet companion, a universal love for humanity, self-love - isn't more or less important, but merely other avenues of giving and receiving love. Love, when it is true, comes in a variety of forms. Shared in this post back in October about unconditional love, Andy Puddicombe reminds, “The very definition of unconditional love is it is not dependent on anything or anyone. So to experience unconditional love, we don’t necessarily need to be with another person. It doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy being with another person, but we don’t necessarily need them to experience it.” Zen Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh wrote in his book How to Love, "In true love, you attain freedom.” He goes on to teach us that “To love is to recognize; to be loved is to be recognized by the other.” In my own life, one that the zeitgeist would label as 'being single', I have let go of the narrow perspective of how to welcome love into my life as well as give love to the world. Once I began to do this with more awareness and understanding, I began to feel more love and also be more loving without expectation to others and to myself in how I nurtured my everyday life and supported my dreams. I set myself free to trust my life journey, and it has made a powerfully positive difference to the quality of my life. But, and this is why I share today's episode/post, this is not to advocate for being single or to enjoy being single until . . . [whatever it is the culture we find ourselves approves or applauds]. When we let ourselves be labeled in such a way - married, single, divorced, widowed - it becomes cement that prevents us to live fully and partake in whatever life dance we choose to attend, for however long we choose to partake. Because the reasons for choosing the life we discover is most nourishing for our true selves will be unique to each of us, and cannot be fully understood by the outside world, not even those close to us in absolute entirety. In today's episode we'll explore four ways to understand what a life of love is and how it is invited into our life. Explore the show notes on The Simply Luxurious Life blog - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast397 

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• 396: Why Living a Simple Life Involves Courage and 6 Ways We Can Harness Our Bravery to Do So

  "The confidence to dare to be simple." —Monty Don To be simple is to knowingly let go of what is not necessary and wisely keep, nourish and invest in what is. Gardens in many ways are a wonderful analogy for living well because they take time to mature into their full potential, and it isn't guaranteed that they will, but if they do, it is because the gardener had the foresight, patience and clarity to know what would be of value to invest in today. Albert Einstein is attributed with saying, “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.” To know where that line is, because it will be different for each of us, is to know ourselves as well as understand the pressures of the world with keen awareness and insight. Such knowledge takes time and conscious effort to gain. In daring to be simple, we bet on ourselves, care for ourselves and without guarantee, invest in what is harmonious to our ear, letting it become a priority while not be distracted or drained by the rest. On the category page in TSLL's archives for all of the Simplicity themed posts, I share that “The value of True Simplicity is that it fully lets the light in so that you can see and explore the depths of a life’s full gifts and beauty.”In more concrete terms, is the condition or quality of being easy to understand. As it pertains to living well, when we understand how to live our lives well, making decisions becomes far easier because of our gained clarity about what nourishes us and the life that we wish to live. In today's post/episode, let's explore how we dare to be simple in such a way that enhances the quality of our lives. How does it show up? What does it look like? What behavior, mannerisms, ways of life embody being simple to the degree that exhibits living with contentment?   Explore the Show Notes on TSLL blog: https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast386 

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• 395: 12 Balanced Living Ideas for a Great New Year

  Maintaining our balance whether we are holding a tree pose in yoga or riding a bicycle requires dynamic engagement. While the tree pose in yoga may look static, nope, it is actually dynamic as various muscles are engaged. Similarly and more visually obvious is riding a bicycle. We must remain in motion, and a motion that is balanced, so again engaging our motions to align with each other if there are multiple, in this case our two legs pedaling, to remain balanced. Balance in life involves a similar concept. We may not always look physically in motion, so for example, choosing time to just be, but we are engaged. We are present and consciously and purposefully engaging in an action or activity that nourishes our balance. In the first episode of the new year, I wanted to focus on this idea of balanced living as inspired by the book The Scandinavian Guide to Happiness: Balanced Living with Fika, Lagos, Hygge, and More by Tim Rayburn, because rather than focusing on adding or improving, why not focus on tweaking and putting more of a priority on savoring. The latter is what will improve the quality of our life in all arenas. So let's take a look at the list, and be sure to listen to the audio version for detailed conversation about each point.   Explore the Show Notes here on The Simply Luxurious Life blog - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast395 

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