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“To give up on style is to give up on life.”
Nature and the stunning countryside is said to have inspired Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6. The works of other great writers such as Plutarch and Geoffrey Chaucer have been credited as inspiration for William Shakespeare and for top American designers such as Tory Burch and Diane von Furstenberg their travels are what they draw upon for inspiration when creating their newest collection.
Revealing our own individual style doesn’t only occur with the clothes we decide to don each day, but also in our decor, our words, the food we prepare, the routine we keep, the trips we take, our mannerisms and our life’s journey. To choose to live with style is to choose to live an authentic life that is true to our hopes, dreams, talents, curiosities and experiences our life presents.
And it is when we live with style that we create what seems on the surface to be magical inspiration. Inspiration that allows our true gifts to be exercised and revealed helping us to live our best life.
So while Violet Crawley played by Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey may be speaking specifically about proper Lord and Lady entertaining expectations and traditions, I found her words to speak to something even more profound. To follow the trend, to follow the crowd is to neglect your own style. To blindly and ignorantly go along living a life that everyone expects you to live because it is what they understand when you either haven’t investigated what you want or are choosing to suppress what calls your name is to allow someone else to be the designer of your life. Instead, live in such a way that is styled by you – from when you wake up in the morning and how you begin your day to what you fill your mind with throughout the waking hours – style it according to what inspires you to be motivated to live your best life.
Perhaps you’re like Beethoven and your creativity blossoms when leaving the city behind. Or perhaps visiting new destinations and locales fuels your soul and affects the meals you prepare when you return. Or maybe your insatiable love for reading and learning opens your eyes to places and ideas that speak to you and perhaps would have never known about had you not opened a book.
The gift of living a life of independence and freedom is that we are able to be the curators of our very own life. We are able to say yes or no. We are able to take a chance or appreciate and cultivate what is working well. Most importantly, we are responsible for our own contentment, so if you’re life doesn’t sit well with you, begin seeking inspiration until you determine how you want to style the life you want to live.
“Everything will line up perfectly when knowing and living the truth becomes more important than looking good.” – Alan Cohen
Living with style doesn’t mean the masses will applaud, but it will mean you will sleep soundly at night, and that is the best gift. If the former should happen, fabulous, if not, so what. Your heart knows when you’re the curator of your life or when someone else is. For example, whenever you’re sick to your stomach after an event or occurrence that others are celebrating and cheering and you are assumed to be doing as well – take note, you may be following instead of curating. And on the flipside, when time passes in a flash and you lose yourself in the moment intoxicated by life not spirits, then most likely you have found your niche.
The beautiful gift of our one and only life is that the choices we make every single day determines our contentment. Choose wisely.
Have a wonderful week everyone, and trust yourself. You already know which direction you want to go, you simply need to slow down long enough to get the directions.
SIMILAR POSTS FROM THE ARCHIVES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
~Why Not . . . Create Your Own Signature Style?
~One Small Adjustment Away from Contentment
Another great post to start the week Shannon. I’ll be adding this to my bookmarked posts. I love your thought on styling one’s life to suit. I’ve been thinking of this for the last few weeks and how it relates to my life. Thank you for explaining it so beautifully
xo Stephanie
Shannon, I’ve been following and reading your posts for over a year now and I have to say this is my favorite post. You nailed it. Great post.
Lovely post Shannon, especially love the last few paragraphs. I need more of the good moments…don’t we all.
Cheers
This is great Shannon, great things to think about, so true.
A social worker friend who also does private therapy sessions once told me this: The way you do anything, is the way you do everything. It’s a simple yet profound statement that is along the lines of this post and reminded me of that wisdom. Every small thing we do in life adds up to the whole that is our life and what quality we choose to give it.Thanks for a wonderful blog! – Hope
Thank you for sharing that insight. A wonderful way of looking at how to approach living each and every day.
This is a really wonderful post, Shannon. Just when I feel like I’m getting off target you post something that pushes me in the right direction. There are so many distractions in life that can deter us from what we really want. And people get deterred, not because they really want the other thing, but because they are told they should have that other thing. Many times those things don’t fit into our life or lifestyle.
I was most struck by “The beautiful gift of our one and only life is that the choices we make every single day determines our contentment. Choose wisely.” It also reminds me of this quote by Steve Jobs, “Focusing is about saying no. And it comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don’t get on the wrong track or try to do too much. We’re always thinking about new markets we could enter, but it’s only by saying no that you can concentrate on the things that are really important.” While it’s important to say “yes” to life and go for it, it’s equally important to say no to the things that distract us from our true selves and true potential.
Thank you for sharing Steve Jobs’ quote. It is a wonderful reminder of refusing to please everyone as that is not a path that will lead to our goals, but others’ goals. Thank you so much.
Wonderful post. I think many people who choose not to let society dictate what their life should consist of or who they should be will find this helpful, including myself. I am a woman of “childbearing age” who has choosen to be CFBC (child-free by choice). I live an extremely happy, fulfilling, satisfying life. In fact, I still pinch myself as My life is MY Dream! Thanks again for another lovely post emphasizing individuality.
We are truly blessed to live in an age where we can create whatever kind of life we choose. So often people are unhappy because they perceive a lack of control…the reality is we have never been more free to live a creative, fulfilling life.
Thanks for the reminder.
Beautifully said. You are absolutely correct. A wonderful gift. The challenge is knowing what to do with it. But as you said, at least we have the freedom to choose.