A quick search in the Cambridge dictionary is gonna tell you that ,,luxuryˮ is currently defined as:
Something expensive that is pleasant to have but is not necessary.
I canʼt disagree, I mean itʼs the Cambridge dictionary after all. But I lately have been leaning towards defining luxury as ,,quality people, experiences, and thingsˮ.
And that was all instigated by a recent trend of small luxuries roaming around the social media world. From overpaying for coffee to buying that out-of-
budget dream lipstick. As those videos were popping up on my feed, each of them made its way into my head and begun forming the thought that inspired this article:
Why wait to live a luxurious lifestyle when I can start putting in the groundwork now? I just have to tweak the definition.
In the first video I saw, the guy was talking about how every time he went on vacation or simply had to work from home, he would find a beautiful café or hotel to have his morning coffee at.
Continuing the explanation that even though the coffee might not be the
cheapest, the atmosphere itself was worth the upcharge. As it made the whole experience feel more significant and gave him a motivation boost. And seeing the beautiful café he was filming at, I would also be motivated.)
Maybe a week or so later, my feed showed me the video of a girl explaining how she just bought a lipstick that, in total, was worth more than any of her other lipsticks combined.
But then she explained the thought process: See, for the longest time, she was in love with a certain high-end lipstick, but she could never justify to herself the price. Until one day, she went and bought it, just to see how it feels to make
that splurge. But after she started wearing the lipstick sheʼd been pining over all this time, it dawned on her that she didnʼt want to stop wearing the product even after this tube was gone.
So that motivated her to start looking for ways to afford the lipstick without calling it a splurge, leading to her elevating her life altogether.
And after a few more videos like these, it hit me: Small luxuries.
That is a way to start making my way towards the lifestyle I want without sudden enormous changes.
And in that way began the journey towards my desired lifestyle, bit by bit, until the final goal. Drinks with amazing people at a beautiful place I normally
wouldnʼt go to, a skincare product that makes my skin feel better, or a coffee at a beautiful place to give a subtle boost in motivation. It might be once a week for a while, but itʼs the foundation of the lifestyle I aspire to have.
Because something Iʼve realized is that a luxury lifestyle is what we define it to be for ourselves.
Marchesi 1824, una colazione di classe a Milano
By Bella Pchelarova
