I believe in manicures. I believe in overdressing. I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick. I believe in pink. I believe happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and... I believe in miracles.

Audrey Hepburn

People have said that I live a charmed life.  What they see is a woman that travels, host fabulous dinner parties, hangs out with really cool people and has a passion for shoes, wine and great conversations. Does this make a charmed life?  Well, not necessarily. The truth is that I have known many people who do very similar things as me.  In fact, some of them fly around in private jets, don’t have to work, always book the penthouse, don’t blink at ordering a bottle of Petrus and have a closet packed with designer handbags. This is not my life.  But, again, does this make one’s life charmed?

In all my travels, I have encountered the charmed lifestyle in the most unusual of places, like my friends who live in a schoolyard in Antibes or my old professor who lives by the river in a little bungalow filled with books and music.

I’ve come to experience the charmed life as something that can’t be bought because it’s magic does not come from things, but from experiences paired with seeing the world as a grand romance.

At the end of the day, it’s the small, little gestures, the simple pleasures and the little details that add sparkle to a woman’s being that creates a charmed life.

A charmed life is…

 

  • mornings of leisure sipping coffee and watching the sun rise.
  • defining success on your own terms, which will never be found in chasing money, a man or a certain body.
  • ignoring the incessant mind chatter and sinking fully into the present moment.
  • an elegance in how you walk, speak and live.
  • accepting things as they are.  Now. In this moment.
  • simple, not stuffed.
  • not hurried, but slow and steady with occasional bursts of passion.
  • sipping a good Bordeaux while discussing what Paris must have been like during the roaring 20’s.
  • doing work play that you adore.
  • not obsessing or worrying over things outside of your control.
  • sharing who you are while also keeping a little mystique.
  • filled with hugs and kisses.  Lots.
  • having brunch with girlfriends (with Champagne, of course).
  • spending time listening, playing and being with your kids.
  • sending handwritten thank you cards with a little spritz of your favorite perfume
  • having the ability to carry on a conversation in any situation.
  • beautiful meals shared with people you love with stimulating conversations as the main course.
  • strolling along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées searching for that perfect Parisian find.
  • feeling great in your own skin.
  • full of fresh flowers and candles.
  • living in moderation but occasionally having dessert and the second glass of wine.
  • finding your own formula for wellness.
  • not becoming a slave to habits, good or bad.
  • having your own signature perfume.
  • good manners from the way you eat to how you treat others.
  • creating white space to dream, read, play and love.
  • getting lost in a French village.
  • lounging around the house in silk lingerie and fluffy slippers.
  • full of gastronomic orgasms, while also…
  • dining like a lady.
  • baths filled with patchouli oils in the summer and sandalwood in the winter.
  • wearing high heels to the grocery store on a Monday morning.
  • sipping afternoon tea while listening to Etta James.
  • boarding a plane to visit a new land.
  • reading Rumi to your lover.
  • learning a new language.
  • infusing your day with simple pleasures such as haute couture chocolates.
  • treating people with kindness and respect.
  • using your fine china on an ordinary day.
  • wearing lipstick to walk to the mailbox.
  • playing tag, frisbee or anything that makes you feel like a kid.
  • seducing the world with your je ne sais quoi and joie de vivre.
  • filling your home with only items you adore.
  • living in a state of constant curiosity and amazement.
  • full of smiles and laughter.
  • visiting the farmer’s market to pick up the best of this season’s offerings for a dinner party.
  • having friends that make you belly laugh and challenge you to do the unthinkable.
  • constantly cultivating your mind with literature, art and music.
  • waking up each morning seeing the day as a blank page for you to write, and…
  • living each day is if it’s a grand adventure…because it is!

       

      What else will you add to this list?

    The Self-Image Manifesto

    You’re Invited To Live An Extraordinary Life!

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