September is here, but summer is still very much on my mind. How was your summer? What new experiences did you have the opportunity to catalog into your memoirs? What surprising lessons did you learn about yourself, life and the world?

Tomorrow I officially go back to school, but the past three months have taught me so much, and offered a wealth of riches. Before I share a few of the lessons I’ve learned, I thought I’d share a glimpse of what my summer looked like through the lens of Instagram.

I challenge you today to reflect on your summer, your holidays, your change of schedule and routine. What did you discover, what did you realize, how did it make you feel and what will you be incorporating into your life this fall to enhance your life?

As I look back over the leisure, work and travel, Gandhi’s quote above rings true – how we spend our days is a mirror of what we value. And if you look back and you find yourself spending time doing things you don’t necessarily value, perhaps now is the time to ask yourself what is it that you valued that brought you to those scenarios? And then if you’re still not happy with the answer, ask yourself how you can muster the strength and the courage to go about it differently next time.

Fortunately, what you see above is not a surprise revelation of what I value – simplicity, luxury, my dogs, travel, quality food and drink and time to read and learn. And this is what the summer of 2013 has taught me:

1. Staying busy doing what you love is the best gift you can give yourself.

2. Travel always offers lessons to the the traveler, but one can never predict what those lessons will be until arriving back at home.

3. Never be afraid to try

4. Believing you are worth it is the biggest hurdle. From that point forward, it will just be a lot of hard work to make whatever you dream about mature into a reality.

5. Ask for what you want.

6. Slow down and listen to your life. The answers you seek are within you waiting to be heard.

And now, September begins. School bells begin to chime and the runways in NYC, London, Milan and Paris are about ready to reveal their garments. Whether we’re ready or not, that time of the year for life and fashion is upon us, and if we did summer right, we’re ready for the gradually transition.

But as we leave behind summer, keep in mind today’s quote. After all, we are the curator’s of our life, and how we spend our time, what we spend out time thinking about and talking about is a reflection of what we value. Choose to live consciously, and you’ll be amazed about the evolution your life can take on.

As I know many of your schedules like mine will begin to change quickly with fall’s arrival, I wanted to share with you ways to tailor the use of The Simply Luxurious Life blog to you and your preferences. Click here to get a detailed rundown about how to use the blog in a way that works with your interests, lifestyle and schedule.

~Just a reminder to those who may not be subscribers to the newsletter yet. The 2013 Fall Shopping Guide was just released yesterday in its new format. Feel free to have a look at it here, and if you want to make sure you receive all future newsletters in your inbox, click here to subscribe.

images via @thesimplyluxuriouslife Instagram