We always say that luxury is in the eye of the beholder. For one person, itโs a yacht to travel the world. For another, itโs being able to escape from your children in a hot, bubbly bath with a glass of cold, bubbly champagne. Regardless of what your luxuries are, we are in a pandemic and things are different, but I want you to know that you still can be luxurious.
Here are five tips to get started living our most luxurious lives:
Thereโs nothing better than being able to call a girlfriend and complain about the sad state of our nails during COVID, and for some of us, the fact our child has been on electronics for five hours straight, all without judgment. While this pandemic is certainly not something to joke about, funny memes and discussing the best way to get gel nail polish off have taken some fear of the unknown away. Itโs this escape that has kept us all sane during this crazy time in the world. Who else is waiting for the aliens to land?
If youโve recently seen the black and white pictures of women on social media with the caption, โChallenge accepted,โ the premise is women supporting other women. Being a woman can certainly be described as a โchallengeโ. Thatโs why encouragement from other women and discovering commonalities are so key. While the origin isnโt clear, this type of movement is exactly what women need, now more than ever. #womensupportingwomen
According to a recent KFF Coronavirus Poll sited on PsychologyToday.com, โwomen are more preoccupied with the feelings, emotions, and mental health repercussions of theย stress and anxiety caused by COVID-19.โ You know that village everyone talks about? Itโs a real thing, and while COVID has put out some roadblocks to physically being with our village, itโs still there.
2. Ask the Universeย
I love this article from American Express about a now well-known business who put their ideas out for the world to see and how those ideas turned into something amazing. Whether youโre spiritual or not, believe in the power of positivity, or subscribe to the idea that what you put out there comes back, thereโs something to say about creating your own destiny. Whatโs more exciting than that? Who knows, you could be lounging on your 40-foot yacht soon. If you can dream it, you can do it.
Do you want to start your own business? DO IT. Do you want to get that degree and go back to school, even though you work full-time and have kids who may need homeschooling? DO IT. Tell yourself youโre not going to let anything, or anyone get in your way. When you put positivity out there, positivity is what youโll receive back. The universe is listening and if you donโt believe in yourself, who will?
Itโs a debate as to who said this famous quote, but itโs a great one. โThe best way to predict the future is to create it.โ So, go ahead, figure out what you want out of life, ask for it, and go get it. What are you waiting for?
If youโre asking yourself why the universe isnโt answering you quickly, thereโs a reason, and itโs a big one. You have to earn your luxuries. Nothing in life is free. Didnโt your parents tell you thatโฆseveral times? I hate to say it, but they were right. If you wake up every day, hoping to find yourself sailing the blue seas and listening to the sounds of the wind blowing in your hair, youโll be disappointed. Until you earn that yacht, the only sounds youโll be hearing is your partner snoring.
Hard work works in tandem with the universe. How good is it going to feel when you finally get that yacht, knowing you earned it all by yourself? Perhaps, in reality, that yacht is actually a nice pontoon boat. Perhaps the captain is just your husband, snoring and all. Perhaps the Cristal is just Prosecco or sparkling water? For the record, I love me some Prosecco and seltzer is my jam. It doesnโt matter if reality is a bit off from the planet youโve been living on in your head. Knowing you built up a business, even with all the challenges that come with being a woman, is the ultimate reward. How badly you want that yacht, and how hard you work to make it happen, is ultimately up to you.
The guilt that constantly plagues our brain is alive and well. We feel bad about spending too much money on ourselves, overindulging on our favorite foods, binge-watching too much mindless television, consuming that extra glass or three of wine, disregarding relationships with friends and family, and remorse of not being a present parent. With life on hold and fun summer BBQs that we can only smell in your memories, we have nothing but time to think about our guilt. COVID has created fear, loneliness, and uncertainty for us all. Now more than ever, we deserve to indulge where we can.
If we constantly are paralyzed by guilt, how can we check off the boxes on our life of luxury list? If youโre a parent and you feel guilty because your kids are bored this summer, tell them to have a thought. If youโre a daughter who feels guilty for not seeing your parents more often, COVID makes the rules, not you. If youโre a professional who feels guilty because your hair isnโt Zoom ready for your clients, grab some dry shampoo and get over it. From here on out, we need to exchange our guilt trip with a mental trip around the world, which will one day become a reality, of course on our new yachts.
Letโs take the struggle to juggle it all. Sound familiar? COVID has definitely added a few more plates to balance. The good news is women all over the world happen to have the same plates (there must have been a sale that day), and when we work as a team, we can conquer anything and everything. That is if we have the right perspective. Hereโs a thought. What if these plates were made of paper instead of china? As they fall down daily, they wouldnโt crash and break, yet float and simply land where they may, all in one piece. Zero stress; zero mess.
If we choose to think positively and alter our way of thinking, we can stop juggling and actually get stuff done. Who has time to juggle anyway? Maybe the yacht on our luxury list, has for now, turned into letting go of all the constant guilt weighing us down, in addition to those doughnut pounds weโve mysteriously accrued during COVID.
I leave you with a quote from Walt Disney. โAll our dreams can come true โ if we have the courage to pursue them.โ Donโt talk or dream about the luxuries of life you crave. Stay positive, put it out there, work your butt off, ditch the guilt, adapt a new way to view life, and find your village. Most importantly, donโt forget to laugh.
Hope You Enjoyed the Read!
