428: Cultivating Equanimity — The Paramount Benefit of Living with Contentment for Everyday Peace of Mind
The Simple Sophisticate - Intelligent Living Paired with Signature StyleShow Notes
Dynamicism embodies the ability to move, adjust, adapt and thus thrive in whatever environment one finds themselves. To be dynamic is to be fully alive and thus living fully the life that we are given. Whenever we talk about contentment and what lies at the heart of experiencing contentment and how I introduce the Contentment Masterclass is the idea of a vehicle that provides us a mode of transportation along our life journey. When we are content, the motor of our vehicle that creates the abiding peace during any type of driving conditions (life and world events outside of our control) is the learned skill of equanimity. "Equanimity is a state of psychological balance and stability. Evenness of mind and temper allows us to navigate the many curveballs that life may throw at us with grace and serenity." —PositivePsychology.com Notice that equanimity is described as a skill. This is awesome news. We do not come out of the womb with the ability to keep ourselves calm, yet remain loving and kind while honoring our integrity, in difficult situations. It is a skill we choose to learn, and like most skills, it takes practice. We will wobble and feel very uneasy in our first attempts at holding ourselves calmly in an agitating moment, watching our words with care before uttering them or deciding whether or not to respond. This will take extraordinary reserves of energy as we welcome this skill into our toolbox of contentment. But the more we engage in such a way, it gradually becomes our default. And as we witness the peace we feel afterward, knowing we are at ease with how we engaged, what we said, and how we spoke (our tone and our words), we are self-encouraged to continue to apply this skill moving forward. This is where we begin, knowing what the word literally means. Now, let's dive into how to we practice this skill in our lives and the many opportunities to do so. Find the Show Notes for this episode on The Simply Luxurious Life blog - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast428
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"Sophistication is a perfect marriage between intelligence and simplicity, combined with supreme confidence." —Rose Tarlow, interior designer, author of The Private House A home that spontaneously prompts a deep exhale of relief and appreciation when we arrive. Four walls of our own that reflect what we need to unwind, put down any defenses or professional selves that we have needed to do our job. When we know we have such a place, no matter the size, but we know it is our own, our whole being can rest, can delight and can be free. The caveat is that a home such as this doesn't just magically come together. In fact, even hiring an interior designer won't create this feeling of deep intimate calm that day after day, year after year, we feel innately. Rather, it takes intention, both in knowing ourselves and in knowing how to create the aesthetic combinations of colors, textiles, décor items, furniture and arrangement. The latter is what internationally respected interior designer, antiquarian and fine furniture and fabric creator Rose Tarlow can teach us. In her book The Private House published first back in 2001, she details, more accurately, journals her way through her thought process of decorating private homes for her clients, and herself and loved ones. The book was republished with updates in 2024, and I was fortunate to receive a copy after being inspired to explore the title by a long-time reader and member of TSLL community Deborah L. (thank you Deb!). Rose Tarlow knows quiet luxury, even though she herself would never use the term. But to look at her projects of homes located in France (Provence), England (London) and in the States (Los Angeles), the fact that more than 20 years later they still look inviting, reveal her skill of timeless acquisitions, textile choices and arrangements. Have a look at the quote below and her thoughts about the importance of creating, decorating a house so that it becomes our private house.
Find the text for this mini-episode on The Simply Luxurious Life - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/moment42
Find the text for this mini-episode on The Simply Luxurious Life - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/moment41
"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