The Simple Sophisticate - Intelligent Living Paired with Signature Style

"In a world of fleeting trends, the most profound elegance is self-fidelity. Let your style be an authentic whisper of your spirit, not a borrowed shout. Cultivate your own taste; adorn yourself in truths, not trophies. The greatest rebellion is to remain unyieldingly yourself." —Anonymous

In many ways it far easier in our world today to be true to ourselves, void of blindly following trends and cultural preferences as options abound of how to live, what to wear, what [fill in the blank of what we are trying to figure out], but at the same time, because the world is so loud with everyone having a microphone and video in their pockets should they want to use it, it can also be hard to know what our own self is. Are we rebelling against the cacophony or walking our own path? Are we singing our own song or is it a tune we heard unconsciously over and over again while going about our life from surrounding influences?

One way to know we have arrived at least at a semblance of self-fidelity is when we are comfortable in our own company. No matter the length of time, when we choose to be with only ourselves, how comfortable are we? Are we at peace with the decisions we've made? Do we feel we can correct them if they need adjustment, and who are we adjusting them for? So long as it is for our peace and to bring a peace of mind to our days, then self-fidelity is part of our way of life far more abundantly than we may have given ourselves credit for.

There will be times in my days when I ponder the life decisions that have brought me to the life I live today and it is often a pondering grounded in appreciation. While I could not have foreseen the decisions, each one, that would eventually lead me to Le Papillon, working from home, a pup as companion, garden to potter in and connecting with online readers in TSLL community from around the world, the simple truth is the fact that there wasn't a guidebook to lead me here assures me they were made, each decision, with a sincere heart. In alignment with what my true compass. Each decision made, not all easily, but hopeful that it would work out because if they did, I knew I would be energized, full of creative ideas to share and capable of living well.

As you will see in point #7, one of the true tests to determine if we are living with the compass of self-fidelity as our guide is whether we have a detailed map of direction or not. Let me bring relief and skip ahead for a moment, not having one, at least not a detailed one, is a most promising thing indeed.

Let's take a look at the entire list exploring how to maintain self-fidelity along our life journey:

Explore the Full Show Notes on The Simply Luxurious Life blog - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast435

Find the text for this mini-episode on The Simply Luxurious Life - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/moment40

Find the text for this mini-episode on The Simply Luxurious Life - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/moment39

Find the text for this mini-episode on The Simply Luxurious Life - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/moment38

Sideways. Often a term associated with glancing, looking, or moving from side to side, or figuratively referring to something not working out as we'd hoped. However, today, with the help of a new book that brought it to my attention, I want us to reframe this term as we discover how intentionally remembering to live sideways while we strive forward toward our goals, or set sail in the direction of our intentions, is a recipe for living a life of depth, quality, and richness.

In a world that may feel as though it is perpetually pushing us forward, or pulling us forward as it sometimes seems, if we don't cultivate a life that nourishes us, we can easily be swept along with the current, focused only on outcomes of productivity, results or finished work or accolades for that work. How we engage with our journey along the way will then become less important, and we have forgotten that living now is all that we have guaranteed.

Tune in to the episode and find the show notes on The Simply Luxurious Life blog - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast434

Find the text for this mini-episode on The Simply Luxurious Life - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/moment37

Find the text for this mini-episode on The Simply Luxurious Life - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/moment36

"Everything we do and for how long and intensely we do it affects our brains." —Wendy Suzuki, PhD., author of Healthy Brain, Happy Life

We each have the ability to expand and improve the quality of our life. No matter what our age, our brain is capable of expanding in its cognitive abilities. We just need to remember to exercise it. And the beautiful discovery I want to share with you today is that often how we exercise our brain can be not only enjoyable, but elevate our entire life. A win-win in which we are the fortunate recipient that holds the keys to giving to ourselves.

In a book that came out in 2015, interactive researcher and well-known TEDx speaker, Dr. Wendy Suzuki shares in Healthy Brain, Happy Life that when we understand what plasticity means when it references the brain, "the idea that the brain has an essential ability to change as a result of experience" we open up encouragement to continue to give it opportunities to stretch, expand and discover. Which means that we are reminded that forever learning, permitting our curiosity to be our guide is not a silly prospect, but a necessary one to live a long and healthy and yep, happy life.

Today, I would like to share with you nine practices and ideas, explained through Suzuki's shared rearch of how to keep our brain healthy and thereby enhancing the quality of our lived experience each day.

Tune in to the episode as we explore this topic and find the Show Notes on The Simply Luxurious Life blog here - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast433

Find the text for this mini-episode on The Simply Luxurious Life - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/moment35

Find the text for this mini-episode on The Simply Luxurious Life - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/moment34