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StitcherLuxury isn’t just about extravagance. Sometimes, it’s the simple, priceless moments in life that we don’t even realize, like reading a book, walking your dog, or enjoying a quiet cup of coffee! In this episode, Jen and Jill join Shannon Ables of The Simply Luxurious Life to guide us through how to identify little luxuries, and how we can build skills leading to contentment.
Without realizing it, you may be negatively impacting your effectiveness by seeking others approval.
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The founder of simply luxurious living, Shannon Ables began her blog The Simply Luxurious Life in 2009, an internationally recognized online destination for cultivating true contentment: The art of living a life of quality over quantity. Having been a public teacher of English in high school for 20 years, in 2021, she retired and gave her full attention to sharing and teaching how to live a life of contentment. Having studied abroad in France and traveling frequently to both France and England, the French and British cultures inspire much of the blog and online content and in 2018 the podcast The Simple Sophisticate premiered.
Defining Contentment vs. Happiness
As similar as they may seem, contentment and happiness are more related to each other than they are identical. Shannon explains the origin of both words to help us better understand their differences. To put it simply, happiness is something external and not entirely within our control, whereas contentment involves being satisfied and secure within oneself.
True contentment doesn’t happen overnight; it requires practice because it is a skill to be learned. She emphasizes that when you start listening to yourself and following your intuition, you’ll find true contentment. While it can be challenging in a culture that belittles what brings you joy, remember that staying true to yourself will eventually lead you to your community.
It’s The Little Things that Matters
Have you noticed how clear the sky is today or how the flowers are blooming? Shannon suggests that gratitude is an essential value for finding contentment. This means being present, looking around you, and celebrating the little mundane things happening around us.
Another important practice is mindfulness, whether through journaling, meditation, or any activity that relaxes your mind from the hustle of life. Lastly, honing your emotional intelligence is important. This involves being self-aware, honoring your boundaries and values, and engaging with others more lovingly, kindly, and with integrity.
True Luxury Comes from Comfort
We already know the value of quality over quantity, but Shannon goes further to explain what true luxury looks like and how it can guide our spending with intention. The quality she speaks of involves prioritizing your comfort and what you value so you don’t have to sacrifice it for something less, which can lead to discontentment and excessive spending. As she puts it, she needs not more tea, but a good tea.
Where to Find Everyday Luxuries
Little did we know, these true luxuries can be found in our everyday lives. By practicing just these two things, we can eventually stray away from the one thing that keeps us discontented: excessive spending. The first is finding time for solitude, or “me-time,” and paying attention to what genuinely catches your eye because if you’re always looking for others’ approval, you might hinder your own progress toward contentment.
A simple luxury you’re going to enjoy today 🙂
Today, Shannon is going to the farmer’s market, and Jill will read a couple of chapters of the books she’s currently reading. Jen’s simple luxury is her morning cup of coffee while watching her kid play and a cocktail of whatever feels right at night.
More from Shannon
Website: https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/online-courses/
Instagram: @thesimplyluxuriouslife
Bill of The Week
Thank you Shannon for sharing your bill about your pine tree and saving $300 by shopping around on tree service!
Thanks so Much for Listening!
Thanks so much for listening. We love love love reading your kind reviews and we especially loved this one from:
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My favourite podcast
“I love Jen and Jill’s podcast, especially the humour! I find them very motivating and encouraging and it actually has helped me start new habits and save some of my pay each week. I’m in Australia but most of what they talk about is relevant for where I live also. Thanks!”
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