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hen you're chasing your dreams it's hard to slow down. It's hard to think about anything else. This absolute focus is a result of discovering your passion, and it is a beautiful thing.
If you're not sure what exactly you are passionate about, ask yourself these questions, "When have I been so consumed with what I'm doing, that I've lost track of all time?" "When have I been so enthralled with what I'm doing that I don't seem to mind what others think?" When you state the answer to these questions, you are nearly at the bull's eye of discovering your passion. For it is only is spending time doing something you are truly passionate about that causes you to feel as though you are not working but performing what you were put on this earth to do and that . . . that . . . is a destination worth striving to discover each and every day.
There are many other ways to discover what your purpose is, and if you haven't checked out the past post on exactly this, have a look. It is a three part series that proceeds in steps on how to help you discover a path that coincides with your heart, your passions, your life's work.
On that note, I hope you enjoy this week's newsletter as it truly is something I get lost in. Time seems to fly by as I'm putting it all together each week, and before I know it, I realize I should have been in bed hours ago, but I don't seem to mind. And I can't say that has been the case for other endeavors I have embarked on.
This week you will find some beautiful collections from Paris Fashion Week, the beginning of a brand new weekly post entitled Rules of Style (which coincidentially was the Readers' Favorite post this week), and an introduction to a lovely blogger who is a talented illustrator of beautiful cards that would be perfect for that book club get-together, girl's night out invitation or simply something to keep in your desk to send to friends when you're thinking of them. So much fun and extremely talented, do be sure to visit Sandy of Ooh La Frou Frou.
Have a lovely weekend, and until next week, I'll see you on the blog.
-Shannon
EXTRA FASHION & DESIGN POSTS
Articles you might enjoy:
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Readers' Favorite Post |
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Rules of Style: Sarah Jessica Parker |
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New Weekly Post
Comments:
I love the pictures you chose for this post, SJP is a definite classic in my book. Love the new series :)
Have a great week ahead. - Carrie of All Things Dinkulous
SJP - and her alter ego Carrie Bradshaw - is one of my ultimate Style Icons! Love her :) - Shopgirl of Sugar & Spice
First off, I can already tell that I am going to enjoy this new series of yours. Great idea! Sarah is incredibly stylish -- she is so naturally beautiful in her own way and really works her best assets. Thank you for sharing some great ideas and thoughts about her style -- some great things for all women to think about and try :) - Sarah of Haute Design
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| Weekly Themes on the Blog |
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Favorite Photos |
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| Reader Spotlight |
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Sandy
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How do you define luxury?
Luxury to me is anything that speaks to my heart's desire.
My heart rarely DESIRES the latest kitchen scrub pad for my pots and pans or paper for my printer. Even if it was a GOLD scrub pad, it wouldn't be a luxury to me. To discover what my heart's desire is, I find it helps to purposefully listen to myself as a lover might. For instance, a lover might ask, "What are you feeling today, darling, and what can I do to make your day better?" (if you're going to imagine a lover, you might as well make it good, right?) If my answer is "I'm stressed," I really try hard not to ignore it -- rather, I try to take a few minutes to really listen to my answer. And the answer is usually not something that I have to think a lot about. The answer is usually there all along, I just have to stop and listen. And that answer would be my HEART's desire and, thus, a luxury to me because it's obviously something that I haven't been doing. Perhaps, to relieve a stressful day, my heart's desire would be a massage. Maybe its finally signing up for that yoga class. Maybe it's simply scheduling my day better in order to make time for myself. All of those things would be luxurie I could give myself.
I must add that I sometimes forget my own wisdom and think that I don't have time to listen to this "lover" right now. But things always get much better as soon as I start listening to my heart's desire again.
What luxuries do you enjoy in your day to day life?
The Luxuries Contained in "My Favorite Things"
In addition to the above practice that brings luxury to my life, I also have kept a little special something for the last several years that's very special to me and I refer to often. It's a pretty white journal, and the cover is stamped with the words "My Favorite Things". It could just as easily been called "Luxuries". Its pages are filled with page after page of a handwritten list of anything I can think of that I would consider a favorite thing - anything that would bring joy to my life. Some things on my list are material things, others are not. I keep it on my desk so that its handy to pick up and add something to or to just leaf through, which I do often and it never fails to make me feel instantly happy. Sometimes I pick something from my list to gift myself with that day. I consider everything in "My Favorite Things" a luxury. Some are not expensive at all. Some are very. Some don't have a price. I'll share with you a just a few items from a page of "My Favorite Things". My list is not in any particular order and that's part of the magic of it. It's a happy surprise everytime I read it.
Fresh raspberries
Sunny days
Eating alfresco
Leisurely strolling art galleries
New York in the Springtime
New York in the Fall
Romance
A new purse
A new calendar to fill
The smell of baby powder
A clean house
A delicious new recipe to try at leisure
A romantic comedy matinee shared with a girlfriend
The smell of coconut suntan oil
Hotels that leave mints on my pillow
The sound of the surf
A new hardcover book
A glass of wine and plate of crackers, fruit & cheese just because
Hot pink roses on my desk
Fresh sheets
The smell that comes from stepping on dry autumn leaves as I walk
Fresh-squeezed orange juice
What luxuries would you like to enjoy in the future?
I've always wanted to travel frequently. Travel is truly a luxury. Sometimes an entire year goes by without a trip anywhere because of a variety of reasons - too expensive or not enough time are the usual culprits. I've always wanted to purposefully set aside a travel budget, watch travel videos and plan for that next big (or small) trip. I want to get better at the planning part so that I can enjoy the luxury of travel. To me, nothing creates memories more magical. |
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