,
I will admit readily, I am a dreamer. I can imagine, formulate and curate ideas of how outfits, trips, my days will unfold all in my mind without leaving the house. And while it is a lovely journey just living in my head, that is not where life is lived as we all know. Life is lived based on the actions we take, upon the courage we
can muster and the choices we say yes to versus those we pass up.
A handful of situations that occurred this week reminded me of a lesson that Leonardo da Vinci sums up quite eloquently:
“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things
happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”
It is understandable why many sit back and behave cordially, choosing to not ruffle feathers while patiently waiting for others to produce opportunities for them. It's safer, less risky and reduces the chance of rejection. But it also increases the likelihood that your life will not be your own. After all, you are waiting on others to know what you need, want and are capable of.
While there are a good many people who selflessly give of themselves to make others' dreams occur, there are also many more who are first establishing their own foundation. And we can't exactly blame them. After all, no one else knows what dances around in your mind as you day dream your far-fetched dreams.
But the exciting truth about life is that far-fetched dreams have a funny way of materializing when we have the courage to pursue them. And the key, we must pursue them. We can't sit back and hope they become our reality. We must be the advocate for our
dreams.
So my nudge to you today is to ask for what you want, seek out those who can help you live the life of your dreams, and along the way say yes to those who ask you for help or guidance as you will no doubt have something to offer them as they
travel their own journey in search of their dreams.
In this week's newsletter, Monday's podcast was an all-time reader favorite. With the under-current of French-lifestyle married with how to engrain luxurious living into the everyday, I think you
might enjoy it.
And in some exciting news that I have been working on the past few months, I have officially secured the first book reading for Choosing The Simply Luxurious Life: A Modern Woman's Guide. Exact location, dates and times will be announced soon (first to newsletter subscribers), so do stay tuned (or visit my author website's Events page). Here's a slight hint: it will lead me to a destination I have never yet visited, but have always been curious about as it has hints of French culture at its core.
In this
week's Thoughts from the Editor, exciting news was announced regarding one of my favorite authors, and unless you've stepped away from media of any form this week, you no doubt know what I'm talking about. I share my thoughts based on my knowledge of the author in the post along with some encouragement to help you keep your healthy-self resolutions.
Wishing you a lovely first full weekend in February. May you find time to devour a book you've been eager to read, try that new recipe that captured your attention, or simply snuggle in your luxurious bed linens a smidge bit longer than you are able during the work week. Until next week, I'll see you on the blog.
Shannon
PS - The steak recipe spotlighted in this week's Instagram pics below will be
shared soon on the blog. Trust me, even if you don't usually eat steak like myself, this will be the recipe to have on hand for those special occasions.
