WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.679 If you're listening to the podcast on Apple Podcast, please remember to rate and 2 00:00:05.839 --> 00:00:11.400 leave a comment below. Also, don't forget to follow us on Instagram at 3 00:00:11.519 --> 00:00:16.359 Let's Talk to Things Now. Grab your tea, coffee, or a glass 4 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:24.679 of wine and let's talk to Things. Hello everyone, and welcome to another 5 00:00:24.719 --> 00:00:30.640 episode of Let's Talk the Things. I am your host, Ash and this 6 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:36.600 week we are talking to things about ways to bring luxury and indulgence into our 7 00:00:36.679 --> 00:00:45.359 everyday lives. It's important that we stop waiting for that vacation to experience luxury. 8 00:00:45.399 --> 00:00:49.759 And don't worry, I'm guilty of it too, but not to worry. 9 00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:56.520 Today we are going to uncover ways to infuse opulence and luxury into our 10 00:00:56.640 --> 00:01:04.879 daily routines. So when we think of luxury right, our minds often drift 11 00:01:04.920 --> 00:01:14.239 to luxurious destinations and getaways and you know, maybe bubbled beast and champagne and 12 00:01:14.359 --> 00:01:18.319 all those things that we love on vacation. But what if I told you 13 00:01:18.519 --> 00:01:23.959 that luxury is not solely reserved for vacations. In fact, we can create 14 00:01:25.239 --> 00:01:33.480 moments of appelence and luxury right in our own lives every day without having to 15 00:01:33.519 --> 00:01:38.480 wait for that girl's trip, solo trip or vacation. No. I will 16 00:01:38.519 --> 00:01:42.640 say, as of late, with the advent of the soft life, which 17 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:49.760 we've talked about before on this podcast, I find that women are trying their 18 00:01:49.799 --> 00:01:53.159 best to implement it in their lives, right, And so that's a great 19 00:01:53.239 --> 00:01:57.920 start. However, some of you just don't know where to get started. 20 00:01:57.040 --> 00:02:00.519 And here's the thing. You don't have to have a lot of money to 21 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:06.439 experience luxury. I think luxury is a relative to the person, right. 22 00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:13.280 So for one person, luxury maybe champagne and you know, expensive clothes. 23 00:02:13.319 --> 00:02:19.800 But for another person, luxury might just be relaxing in bed with no kids 24 00:02:19.960 --> 00:02:23.599 and no husband and just time for yourself, reading a book, you know, 25 00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:27.599 or maybe reading doing all of that, reading a book in the bath 26 00:02:28.159 --> 00:02:32.080 reverence style, that could be luxury for you. So it's not linear, 27 00:02:32.280 --> 00:02:40.080 and that's the great thing about luxury. It's important to redefine the concept and 28 00:02:40.280 --> 00:02:46.520 embrace the idea that luxury can be found in just the littlest things that bring 29 00:02:46.599 --> 00:02:51.680 us joy. Right. So basically, we want to try to shift our 30 00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:57.800 mindset to recognize that luxury can be experienced on a daily basis. Right. 31 00:02:57.919 --> 00:03:04.560 So, for example, let's say you really love coffee, right, and 32 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:08.439 typically you make your own coffee at home. Luxury for you might be telling 33 00:03:08.439 --> 00:03:15.560 yourself or creating a budget to have your favorite coffee from your favorite coffee spot 34 00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:23.960 every day, you know, or every Wednesday or every month, you know, 35 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:27.800 whatever you can afford implement that luxury in your life. So again, 36 00:03:28.439 --> 00:03:31.639 it might not be your daily life, but just I guess I shouldn't stay 37 00:03:31.680 --> 00:03:36.639 daily life, just in your regular life, like it's not a vacation, 38 00:03:36.919 --> 00:03:40.680 right. Or for example, like I said earlier, you know, maybe 39 00:03:42.120 --> 00:03:47.759 your idea of luxury is to be able to just get away, maybe plan 40 00:03:47.840 --> 00:03:52.400 a staycation, you know, go to your local hotel. A lot of 41 00:03:52.439 --> 00:03:55.919 times local hotels have really good rates and you can stay overnight. Maybe you 42 00:03:57.000 --> 00:04:00.400 can go for a day. You can do like a spa day or something 43 00:04:00.439 --> 00:04:03.400 like that, you know, something where you don't typically have to pack a 44 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:09.400 suitcase, but you can pack a little bag and just have a luxurious day 45 00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:17.199 for yourself. Right. Other small indulgences that can elevate your everyday experience could 46 00:04:17.279 --> 00:04:23.279 just be literally sitting down, you know and savoring a cup of coffee before 47 00:04:23.319 --> 00:04:26.360 you go to work, waking up a little bit earlier, so you're not 48 00:04:26.879 --> 00:04:30.600 just in this rush to leave the house, you can literally sit down, 49 00:04:30.120 --> 00:04:33.120 you know, look outside, if you have a veranda, sits on the 50 00:04:33.199 --> 00:04:38.439 veranda, just watch the news, whatever you want to do, and there's 51 00:04:38.519 --> 00:04:43.680 that moment where it's just to yourself and you can really savor your coffee, 52 00:04:43.720 --> 00:04:46.399 your tea, whatever gets you going in the morning, you know, maybe 53 00:04:46.399 --> 00:04:53.680 it's at night. Maybe you volunteer to do after school activities with your kids, 54 00:04:53.800 --> 00:04:58.800 or you volunteer to help your friend with something, or you yourself have 55 00:04:58.920 --> 00:05:02.480 all these plans. Maybe take something off of your schedule once a week that 56 00:05:02.519 --> 00:05:06.720 you can promise yourself, Okay, this day every week, I'm going to 57 00:05:06.759 --> 00:05:12.680 take a relaxing bath, and you scented oils and candles, and you know, 58 00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:15.279 if you see things on sale. Home Goods is my favorite store, 59 00:05:15.600 --> 00:05:20.079 but just things to like decorate your bathroom. Maybe you saw something at a 60 00:05:20.120 --> 00:05:25.199 resort or a villa that you stayed at that you thought was so luxurious. 61 00:05:25.560 --> 00:05:29.199 Recreate that if you can, you know, in your own home, and 62 00:05:29.279 --> 00:05:38.399 so you can experience that every day. Speaking of your home, creating a 63 00:05:38.519 --> 00:05:45.360 luxurious home environment is probably the best way to experience luxury every day, right 64 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:48.639 because the idea is God willing. You make it home every night, you 65 00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:53.519 get up every morning in the same place, so you want it to feel 66 00:05:53.639 --> 00:05:57.839 good, you know, all the time. And so the idea is that 67 00:05:57.959 --> 00:06:04.199 our homes provide the perfect canvas for experiencing luxury, and by curating a space 68 00:06:04.279 --> 00:06:11.519 that evokes comfort and elegance, we can then transform or daily lives into a 69 00:06:11.639 --> 00:06:16.720 haven of indulgence. Right, So let's see ways that you can enhance your 70 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:24.720 living space. You can invest in high quality betting. Typically that's expensive. 71 00:06:24.839 --> 00:06:30.079 However, I've seen very high quality betting on Amazon that I've heard is very 72 00:06:30.120 --> 00:06:34.759 good. I myself have purchased high quality betting on like West Elm or like 73 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:38.920 I said, in home goods, a lot of times on sale, sometimes 74 00:06:38.959 --> 00:06:44.319 even on clearance, just different colors. And sometimes if it's on sale and 75 00:06:44.360 --> 00:06:46.839 you can afford it, just get it. You may not need it at 76 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:49.720 that moment, but it's just good to have, and especially if you can 77 00:06:49.759 --> 00:06:55.160 get it on sale, that's like ideal. Right, So you can do 78 00:06:55.199 --> 00:07:00.120 that. You can incorporate soft lighting, right because if you work in corporate 79 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:04.959 America, you're around florescent lighting probably all day every day. So maybe you 80 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:10.680 want some soft lighting. Maybe you want different color lighting. You know, 81 00:07:10.800 --> 00:07:15.120 some people like to be able to set a mood with blue lights and pink 82 00:07:15.199 --> 00:07:17.959 lights, and you know, maybe you want different color lighting for your mood. 83 00:07:19.079 --> 00:07:24.160 They also have lightbulbs and all that play music through the light bulb. 84 00:07:24.439 --> 00:07:28.800 So if you're someone that loves music and sort of like dim lighting. Back 85 00:07:28.839 --> 00:07:32.639 to what we were talking about earlier with the bathroom or even taking a bath, 86 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:38.720 you could possibly get some of those lights that you can play soft music 87 00:07:38.800 --> 00:07:44.120 or whatever type of music relaxes you, and then also incorporate that soft lighting 88 00:07:44.120 --> 00:07:46.839 as well to give you kind of a spa feel right there at home, 89 00:07:47.240 --> 00:07:51.920 included in your mortgage. I mean, honestly, you cannot ask for more 90 00:07:51.959 --> 00:07:59.319 than that. Right, and last, but not least, another suggestion would 91 00:07:59.319 --> 00:08:05.800 be to maybe surround yourself with different pieces of artwork or certain decor that like 92 00:08:05.879 --> 00:08:11.040 make you feel relaxed. And as I said, one thing I can tell 93 00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:15.279 you that I've done is when I go to different resorts or you know, 94 00:08:15.399 --> 00:08:22.079 luxury villas, I always take photos of things that I find luxurious or relaxing 95 00:08:22.199 --> 00:08:24.720 or you know, make me feel like I'm on vacation. Right, Because 96 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:28.959 likely you can't afford what's in the villa or in the hotel. Right, 97 00:08:30.360 --> 00:08:33.559 But you can also you can always recreate it, right. You can always 98 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:43.120 go to your home goods, your what's the other store homegoods? Ah, 99 00:08:43.159 --> 00:08:46.679 I'm drawing a blank, but basically any home store you can always find pieces 100 00:08:46.679 --> 00:08:50.480 here and there. And if you know anything about home goods and those type 101 00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:54.039 of stores, there's usually only one of that thing, so there's like a 102 00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:58.440 slim chance that somebody else will will have it, you know, usually, 103 00:08:58.799 --> 00:09:05.120 so that's always nice. But still you can kind of create your own interpretation 104 00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:11.200 of what you've seen, and it's funny. I remember there was an episode 105 00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:15.919 of Meet the Mitchells, if you guys are familiar with it, where Tammy 106 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:20.200 was redoing I think her bathroom or a room, I can't remember. She 107 00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:26.000 was doing some type of redecorating and she realized that she had a photo of 108 00:09:26.120 --> 00:09:31.120 basically what she created her room to be that was just in her phone. 109 00:09:31.399 --> 00:09:33.720 So sometimes the universe works like that, right, Like you take a photo 110 00:09:33.759 --> 00:09:37.200 of something, you might forget about it, maybe it was from a vacation 111 00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:41.440 two years ago, and then you end up having the means to do some 112 00:09:41.559 --> 00:09:46.759 redecorating and you realize, Wait, that's been in my head. I recreated 113 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:50.679 you know, this thing, this atmosphere that I've always wanted. So it's 114 00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:54.440 kind of like having a semi vision board, I guess, but like just 115 00:09:54.559 --> 00:10:01.200 in your phone. Another way you can create luxury is through the power of 116 00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:09.120 aroma therapy. You'd be surprised how certain sense you know, like lavender and 117 00:10:09.639 --> 00:10:15.240 just different sense that tend to relax you that usually find in spas, how 118 00:10:15.320 --> 00:10:20.440 much that can create a spa like experience or ambiance at home, you know, 119 00:10:20.759 --> 00:10:24.919 and how much there's just that sense can relax you. Right. So 120 00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:31.639 that's something that again not very expensive, you can find almost anywhere that can 121 00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:37.000 kind of create that luxurious atmosphere for you without you leaving home. Now, 122 00:10:37.480 --> 00:10:43.399 we've talked about things that you can purchase, right literally thinks. However, 123 00:10:45.639 --> 00:10:54.240 last, but not least, the most important, I think luxurious thing you 124 00:10:54.279 --> 00:11:05.000 can do for yourself is maintaining your wellness and practicing self care. And here's 125 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:11.679 the thing. Self care does not have to be massages and aromatherapy and all 126 00:11:11.679 --> 00:11:15.399 of what we just spoke about right now, that's all a part of it, 127 00:11:15.679 --> 00:11:18.440 yes, because you know you want to treat yourself. You want to 128 00:11:18.440 --> 00:11:24.919 treat yourself well, however, how you feel on the inside, right, 129 00:11:26.200 --> 00:11:31.080 your level of joy, your level of happiness, your level of contentment. 130 00:11:31.960 --> 00:11:37.240 That is the luxury, Right, that's the major key, as DJ Khaled 131 00:11:37.279 --> 00:11:45.679 would say. And that's the thing I think because of social media, there's 132 00:11:45.720 --> 00:11:50.639 this idea that luxury is always material, right, But it's really not, 133 00:11:50.639 --> 00:11:54.039 not all the time. Right. We do love the fanciness, don't get 134 00:11:54.039 --> 00:11:58.200 me wrong. We do love the fancy things and the luxurious hotels and the 135 00:11:58.320 --> 00:12:05.600 luxurious ball and all of that. But something we can't enjoy those things if 136 00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:09.039 we don't feel good inside. Right. If I don't feel good inside, 137 00:12:09.399 --> 00:12:13.279 but I'm at a five star resort getting a three hundred dollars massage. Once 138 00:12:13.320 --> 00:12:16.879 that sixty minute is over and I have to change, I'm back to dealing 139 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:24.639 with whatever I was dealing with before. Right, So luxury goes beyond material 140 00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:28.799 possessions, right, that's the message. It encompasses a lot of other things. 141 00:12:30.360 --> 00:12:35.440 Self care and prioritizing our well being, right, the utmost important thing. 142 00:12:35.799 --> 00:12:41.399 So by taking care of ourselves, we can then cultivate a sense of 143 00:12:41.559 --> 00:12:46.679 inner luxury that radiates throughout our everyday lives. Right. So, for example, 144 00:12:48.279 --> 00:12:54.200 different workplaces nowadays are implementing wellness activities for their employees, right. So 145 00:12:54.279 --> 00:13:00.519 that could mean they allow their employees to exercise during the day, could mean 146 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:07.000 they bring yoga instructors into a corporate setting. Or maybe it's just a meditation 147 00:13:07.159 --> 00:13:13.000 coach. Or maybe it's somebody like Rochelle who we had on the podcast a 148 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:16.960 couple months back. That's a happiness coach, you know, that talks about 149 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:20.840 ways to cultivate happiness a lot of companies. She does a lot of corporate 150 00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:26.600 talks because a lot of companies are realizing that if their employees are not well 151 00:13:26.759 --> 00:13:31.080 mentally, right, if they're not practicing wellness, they're not going to get 152 00:13:31.080 --> 00:13:35.320 the output that they need for their company to be successful. Right, So 153 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:41.360 it's an investment in their employees and a very good one. Another thing is 154 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:48.960 to emphasize the importance of incorporating self care practices into our routines. Right. 155 00:13:48.360 --> 00:13:54.440 So maybe practicing mindfulness starting out once a week, and if you can get 156 00:13:54.480 --> 00:13:56.919 there every day, you know, five ten minutes in the morning out of 157 00:13:56.960 --> 00:14:01.399 your twenty four hour day is not a lot, right, you gift yourself 158 00:14:01.879 --> 00:14:07.799 I remember I once dated somebody who told me that their uncle taught them when 159 00:14:07.840 --> 00:14:13.919 it comes to being paid, you always pay yourself first. So they would 160 00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:18.480 have an account where a couple hundred dollars would just go straight to that account. 161 00:14:18.519 --> 00:14:20.720 They would never see it. So in their mind they only made this 162 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:24.759 amount of money, right, they would never see that amount until they needed 163 00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:28.720 to go in their savings. And the idea was they took their check and 164 00:14:28.759 --> 00:14:33.879 they paid themselves first before they paid the light bill, this bill to that 165 00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:37.799 bill, you know. And so I say that with self care, with 166 00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:41.960 mindfulness, with your well being, that's most important you start your day. 167 00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:50.080 You pay yourself first. Also dedicating time for hobbies and passions. Right, 168 00:14:50.200 --> 00:14:54.279 so let's say you love to play an instrument, but you just don't have 169 00:14:54.360 --> 00:14:56.759 the time because you have all these things on your schedule. Maybe clear your 170 00:14:56.799 --> 00:15:01.000 schedule so that you have an hour, you know, once a week to 171 00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:05.799 just do what you love, you know, whether that's stringing a guitar or 172 00:15:05.759 --> 00:15:11.159 sorry I said stringing, whether that's strumming a guitar or you know, playing 173 00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:16.360 the piano, or you know, going for a walk. Pay yourself first. 174 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:24.559 In addition to that, their benefits to integrating wellness activities like I mentioned 175 00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:30.679 earlier, like yoga or meditation, and not only are they good to relax 176 00:15:30.759 --> 00:15:33.159 you, you know, but it kind of gives you a sense sense of 177 00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:41.360 luxury from within. Right, So I want to know what your most luxurious 178 00:15:41.480 --> 00:15:46.240 experience has been, right, And it can be you know, going somewhere, 179 00:15:46.279 --> 00:15:50.600 It can be a spa, or it could just be like I said, 180 00:15:50.679 --> 00:15:54.440 having no kids in your host if you have a lot of kids, 181 00:15:54.519 --> 00:15:56.480 or you know, maybe you have a couple of kids but they make a 182 00:15:56.480 --> 00:16:00.159 lot of noise, or you know, people are always in your house. 183 00:16:00.279 --> 00:16:03.399 Your house is just that house that everybody comes to, and while you love 184 00:16:03.399 --> 00:16:07.360 it, you just feel like you never have a moment to yourself like what 185 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:11.600 is the most luxurious thing that you've done? And I also want to know 186 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:18.120 what is something that you find to be luxurious but that somebody else might think 187 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:22.799 is just a you know, regular thing. So definitely send me your messages, 188 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:26.519 send me your emails and let me know. So for me, I 189 00:16:26.559 --> 00:16:37.759 would say the most luxurious place I've ever stayed Okay, the most luxurious hotel 190 00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:45.759 I've ever stayed in was in the Maldives. But I'm running a blank on 191 00:16:45.840 --> 00:16:48.600 the name right now, running a blank on the name, but it was 192 00:16:48.679 --> 00:16:53.559 definitely in the Maldives, the overwater Bungalow. I love water, so just 193 00:16:53.759 --> 00:17:00.000 being over the ocean and hearing the ocean at night, that's like a dream 194 00:17:00.159 --> 00:17:03.759 me. So that was definitely the most luxurious and to be honest, that 195 00:17:03.880 --> 00:17:11.039 was actually the most luxurious spa experienced too, because the spa was also over 196 00:17:11.160 --> 00:17:15.319 water and so like when you had your head down like you typically do to 197 00:17:15.359 --> 00:17:19.119 get a massage, you could literally see if you opened your eyes, you 198 00:17:19.119 --> 00:17:25.039 could literally see the fish swimming in the water below. And they washed your 199 00:17:25.079 --> 00:17:29.680 feet and everything, like you could feel the breeze. Oh, it was 200 00:17:29.720 --> 00:17:36.880 amazing. Second runner up has to be round Hill Hotel in Spa. Oh 201 00:17:36.880 --> 00:17:42.720 my gosh. I got a Blue Mountain coffee scrub. Oh that was just 202 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:48.640 amazing. Honestly ten out of ten would recommend all of my friends so good. 203 00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:56.200 And then I got the most amazing massage outside in the gazebo. I 204 00:17:56.279 --> 00:18:03.680 mean it was yeah, I will say that is so okay, let me 205 00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:10.519 Weiland come again. So environment wise, the spa in the Maldives, the 206 00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:15.480 hotel I cannot recall right now. Environment wise, nothing can beat that, 207 00:18:15.079 --> 00:18:19.960 right, Nothing can beat that. Nothing has beaten that thus far in my 208 00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:26.960 life. However, as far as the actual massage, Round Hill Hotel and 209 00:18:27.119 --> 00:18:32.519 Spa, you're you're not gonna get a better massage than that. The environment 210 00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:36.759 is great too, right, but the actual massage, oh, oh my 211 00:18:36.839 --> 00:18:40.720 gosh, and the body scrub, my skin was glowing. My skin just 212 00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:45.680 glow like pepperlite. Yeah, my skin was glowing for days. Okay, 213 00:18:47.319 --> 00:18:51.400 oh talking about that right now. I would love to be at Round Hill 214 00:18:51.920 --> 00:19:00.480 soon, No, soon soon. Remember, luxury is not limited to special 215 00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:07.160 occasions or vacations. Right. By redefining what luxury means to us, to 216 00:19:07.359 --> 00:19:15.880 you, and incorporating small changes into our daily lives, we can all experience 217 00:19:17.079 --> 00:19:23.640 a sense of opulence and luxury in every moment. Well maybe not every moment, 218 00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:29.799 but you know that's eventually. That's the goal. So I encourage you 219 00:19:29.880 --> 00:19:34.799 to identify just simple luxuries that you can incorporate into your routines, from you 220 00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:40.799 know, enjoying a gourmet meal to treating yourself to a spa like experience like 221 00:19:40.880 --> 00:19:45.359 we spoke about, you know, and just to remember that, in addition 222 00:19:45.400 --> 00:19:51.039 to that, luxury is also a mindset, and that you deserve to experience 223 00:19:51.240 --> 00:19:59.720 moments of self indulgence and opulence throughout your daily life. Right we all are, 224 00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:03.839 We all have things going on, you know, sometimes we don't have 225 00:20:03.880 --> 00:20:07.160 time to treat ourselves. But you have to make time. Just like you 226 00:20:07.200 --> 00:20:10.960 make time for your job, you make time for your family, you make 227 00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:14.880 time to you know, take your car to the shop. You have to 228 00:20:14.920 --> 00:20:18.400 make time for yourself because none of those things that I just named, nothing 229 00:20:18.440 --> 00:20:23.079 around you, nothing that you do can run if you're not okay, right, 230 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:26.039 So you have to make that time. You have to pay yourself, 231 00:20:26.119 --> 00:20:30.000 like I said, and guest in yourself, and trust me, you will 232 00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:37.039 thank me later. You will thank you later more importantly. So anyway, 233 00:20:37.119 --> 00:20:41.359 guys, thank you again so much for joining me this week. And remember, 234 00:20:41.359 --> 00:20:45.720 luxury is not a destination, It is a state of mind.