The Simply Luxurious Life's Newsletter 49

Published: Fri, 05/20/11

"Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power."

No. 49 Friday, May 20, 2011

simple life. No grand 30 room mansions, or a five car garage. Not a housekeeper or butler to be found.

A simple life.

I am always reminded when reading Tuesdays with Morrie, that such a life is something that can be richer and sweeter than any monetary billionaire can conceive.

Each May, as a way of wrapping up the school year, one of my upper division classes reads Mitch Albom's collaboration with his professor Morrie Schwartz. The pace of the story is different, the approach is very unique; however, Morrie continues to grab many of my students' attention and they find themselves finishing the book in the span of only a weekend when they've been given a couple of weeks to complete it.

While I can't speak for my students, I can speak for how this book makes me feel each time I pick it up (and it honestly, never gets old, but serves as a refresher in where my focus is, opposed to where it should be).

We all want to be respected and valued for just being ourselves. We all want to know that someone believes in us even if they don't know how we'll achieve what we are dreaming of. We all need to create a culture that is nurturing, and cast aside the feeling of lack that advertisers, naysayers and cynics would have us believe. We all will have to make tough choices, and it's a matter of letting love win - so we must be conscious in our decision-making. We truly must take time to be at peace with ourselves. We should try to leave the world, or at least the community we live in, a little bit brighter, a touch more hopeful than it was before we began living.

I could go on, but Tuesdays with Morrie is a book about lessons on living as it states on the cover and as you can see the life lessons just keep coming. It is a book that reminds us all that the richness of life is in how we live our day to day lives in the little minute decisions that sometimes seem insignificant. It is about being strong, listening to ourselves and being the example we want to see in the world. The most popular post of the week deals with something that is at the foundation of being able to create a life of riches without having to live like a prince - 10 Ways to Strengthen Self-Worth. A simple concept that can sometimes be very hard to discern and discover within ourselves. The best part is, we all possess self-worth, it's just a matter of finding it.

Another post that I hold very dear was this week's Why Not . . . Be A Confident, Single Woman?

and by the sounds of the comments that were left, many of you, whether you are now in a relationship or not, found something that resonated. Ultimately, what this particular post is something that Morrie addresses directly - if we aren't comfortable in the culture that surrounds us, don't succumb to it, but instead create our own. So many people feel society's pressure to live a certain life - whether it be marriage by a certain age, bearing children, having certain beliefs - the answer comes from listening to your gut. If it doesn't fit, we must be strong enough to live life on our own terms. Believe it or not, we're not alone, but it isn't easy speaking out against the norm (besides, what's normal anyway?).

I have thoroughly enjoyed this week's time on the blog, reading your comments, emails and doing some shopping for you. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, experiences and ideas. I am always thrilled to read and receive them.

One more post I'd like to speak about is the Oprah Farewell photos. The next time you receive The Simply Luxurious Life newsletter, Oprah will have had her last show (Wednesday, May 25th), and I can't express enough how inspiring she has become to me as I know she has for so many of you. Enjoy looking through the long collection of images taken during the taping of her farewell show, and set your DVRs for the final three episodes beginning Monday.

Have a beautiful weekend, and until next week, I'll see you on the blog.

-Shannon

EXTRA FASHION & DESIGN POSTS

Oprah's Final Farewell is Coming - A Preview