I am writing this column sitting in the sun on my
balcony while my little boy is taking his afternoon nap. There’s a fresh breeze
today coming from the mountains. On the table nothing but my laptop, a bowl of
sweet strawberries for a snack and a glass of water. Nothing fancy but for some
reason this delicious simplicity surrounding me gives me a sense of luxury and
happiness that I can’t explain.
And the more I reflect on this the more I realize how
much more simple yet luxurious my life is now than it was about 5 years ago
when I was still living in Amsterdam. It seems like a paradox considering what
I gave up there to start a new life in Alanya. But it’s not. It all makes sense
once you understand that the truest definition of success lies in finding your own happiness. And knowing what living a
happy life looks like to you and
being able to pursue it, is what I call a real luxury.
As society we seem to be redefining luxury. We are
shifting away from wanting things and towards wanting experiences. We don’t
necessarily want to own luxury but we
want to experience it. This is
becoming very visible in our social media networks where thousands and
thousands of pictures are being uploaded every single day of people sharing
their personal experiences. It can be everything from a colourful cocktail on a
tropical beach to dinner with friends or a bouquet of pretty flowers. Luxury is
hiding in all the daily details and it’s up to us to transform everyday life
moments into something special. You can gulp down your hot morning coffee in a
hurry on the way to work or you can take a few minutes to enjoy a really good
coffee, with perfect foam, savoring its aroma, drinking it from your favorite
mug.
In our busy modern day lives, anything getting close
to enjoying the good and simple life is called a luxury. Taking a dive into the
sea after work. Biting into a freshly picked tomato still warm from the sun. A
pretty cupcake. A road trip along the coast for a few days. It’s interesting
how this notion has turned the concept of luxury into something surprisingly
inclusive and often inexpensive opposed to the old definition of luxury, which
was rather exclusive and only given to a few who could afford it. The fact that
luxury now is much more ‘makeable’ and affordable to a bigger crowd than it
used to be might be an alarming development for the elite of older generations,
but it’s definitely good news for everyone else.
Of course, this doesn’t mean we no longer want to have
nice things. A great car, a beautiful apartment, a pool in the garden and the
newest gadget. These things probably will forever be wanna-haves to most
people. But many of us no longer accept to live an overscheduled, overworked
life in order to get those things, sacrificing our personal well-being and a
chance for traveling, discovering, adventure and quality time for it. Defining
luxury only by what car you drive or the brands you wear has become too superficial
and incredible boring too if you ask me. It just doesn’t cover it anymore,
especially if you need to compromise your personal happiness for it. I saw this
quote online once, it’s from Leontyne Price, and it said: ‘the ultimate of
being successful is the luxury of giving yourself the time to do what you want
to do’. Beautiful words to live by.
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