Have you ever heard of celebrities renting an island? Well it is possible renting an island for the elite to go on vacation is common among the rich & famous. Summer time offers a different out look on the elite and the regular person. Summer is like a time of vacation for both but on very different scales. The average person may go to the beach or theme park.

 

 

The lifestyles of the elite may including renting a yacht for the vacation (If the don't already own one). They also are able to actually rent a private island like the Little Whale Cay in the Bahamian. They even rent luxury vehicles; just think of actually driving the Ferrari F430 Spider or Rolls Royce. In the life of the rich it is not what you know it is who you know and what they can provide. There are actually services available for anyone to access these services or adventures, like a luxury concierge.

 

 

These offices are located all over in US. The difference in them and the regular concierge is the level of service they provide. Luxury means exactly that, the request can be from a week a luxury resort in South Africa or a overnight jet to Paris for a surprise proposal. Whatever the request or cost it is a luxury concierge job to provide. It actually an adventurous business for the simple fact every hour is a surprise. Clients are so different the service actually thrives of the differences in their customers request or dreams.

 

 

So having a luxury concierge is an open door to beginning your new life of luxury. Running our busy lives doesn't leave much time for anything else so hiring an outside source to make arrangements is a lot easier than trying to do it yourself . Most services of this nature are only a phone call or email away. To the average person it seems like magic but it actually is a talent to pull any person personal request together.

 

 

Living luxuriously is something that can be done on a daily basis. Adding a few simple touches here and there can drastically change your outlook on life. This applies to your sleep, eating, relationships, career and attitude. It is a shift, as silly as some may believe I challenge you to up your game whether you are single, married, divorced, single parent, married with children etc.

 

 

First things first, don't add any additional stress to your life, the purpose of living luxuriously is to incorporate mini upgrades until you reach the level of luxury you want. Here are a few ideas to get you started but I warn you, it is addictive.

 

 

Pick an area of your life you wish had a little more pizzazz. Let's start with your sleeping, not your bedroom your sleep. Splurge and buy high thread count sheets. This small change will be beyond worth it. You will be happy to fall asleep and possibly go a little early. You can't lose with more of and quality sleep. Usually this means you awake feeling refreshed. See the small change big result? We aren't changing the world overnight which is why I didn't say redo your bedroom.

 

 

Use this same approach for your office. Even if you hate your job, commute, boss etc. When you are in the grocery store buy yourself fresh flowers and put them on your desk. Did you solve your challenges at your temporary place of employment? No, but the flowers will make you smile at work more than you would without them. Smiling lifts your mood, hence your attitude changes. By the way, I say temporary employment, because you can change your job in most cases. Keep that in mind as well as you pursue living luxuriously.

 

 

One last example is eating, or rather how you eat. Most people see cooking and cleaning as a chore and/or a necessary evil. They are tired from the job, commute and kids and simply want to get through it. The reason most people go out to eat is to be treated to great food, ambience and a change of pace. Ask yourself how you can create a little of that restaurant feel at home for yourself. Perhaps cloth napkins, after all you have to wash clothes anyway, also using real plates. I know, I hear a collective outcry of more dishes to wash, but again, you have to load the dishwasher or wash dishes anyway. It will change how you feel about eating and what you or you and your family are worth. Ask yourself if you are worth a real plate?

 

 

By now you should get the gist of moving into a luxurious lifestyle slowly. You will learn your own style and what makes you feel luxurious. Living luxuriously can only be defined by you really. Your luxurious lifestyle shouldn't be a cookie cutter lifestyle of what someone else has created, nor about a life filled with brand names. It is moving toward with mini changes, the life you want that will make you feel happiest most often.

 

 

Like Coco Chanel, I love luxury. My heart does palpitations when I walk by the boutiques in Paris. A three-star Michelin restaurant evokes moans and groans. And, a fabulous handbag and a hotel staff that is constantly saying "My pleasure" at my every request makes me smile.

 

 

I even developed a luxury mastermind program where I have the honor of mentoring an amazing group of women while we travel to some of the most luxurious places in the world, such as Aspen and Monaco. I think it's important that women learn how to infuse their businesses, lives and souls with luxury. (By the way, that pic is of us at our slumber party with a private chef at the Ritz.)

 

 

Call me vain, materialistic or whatever word you have for people like me. I don't care. In fact, I understand. I use to feel the same about people living "the good life," and you know what? It wasn't because I thought they were bad people. Deep down, I was just jealous, because I wanted it too.

 

 

Here's what may not know about me. I haven't always lived such a luxurious lifestyle. In fact, I've been dead broke. I'm talking eating Ramen noodles, living in a double-wide, chasing down the K-mart blue light special and putting 25 cents worth of gas in my car broke.

 

 

I'm also not a money coach, meaning I don't teach you how to make more money. I teach you how to tap into your desires, create health, follow your passions and live life full out. Money just seems to follow such a gal.

 

 

What I've discovered is that you must first learn how to be a luxurious person to attract a luxurious life, which is what "French Kissing Life" is all about - filling each day with joie de vivre, passion and desire - all of which can be achieved with little money in the bank. In fact, this method, not some money management system, is exactly how I attracted a most luxurious life.

 

 

I want to show you how to do the same, because I know deep down, you'd probably enjoy a nice bottle of wine or a night at the Ritz Carlton. And, there's nothing at all wrong with you for wanting it. In fact, I say, "Go for it sista!"

 

 

Making it Obtainable

 

 

Very few people are fortunate enough to become overnight millionaires, but if you want to live a luxurious life, you must align your energy with luxury. So, what is a girl to do?

 

 

Well, you may need to redefine luxury to make it obtainable now, because if your current definition is fine yachts and you drive a Pinto, guess what? You're screwed.

 

 

So, let's think of luxury as this: quality people, experiences and things.

 

 

When I decided many years ago that I was fed up with the crap in my life, I started seeking quality. I was done with the junk foods, whining people and plastics made in China. I wanted more for myself, but I couldn't afford Chanel at the time (and although I write about her like we're best friends now, I still don't own a piece.) I had to start showing gratitude for the luxuries I had to attract more of it into my life, and trust me, if you're reading this, you have a computer. That's a luxury.

 

 

Luxury is about quality and sometimes the most quality experiences are free. I can't think of anything more luxurious than hanging out with my daughter on the sofa watching a really good movie, putting on my favorite outfit or my morning cup of coffee on my back deck.

 

 

Instead of me giving you some woo-woo law of attraction guide on energy alignment to attract more money, I am going to share my real-life examples of how I began to experience luxury long before my first Ritz-Carlton stay (BTW, j'adore the Ritz). When I started doing the following things, the world of luxury opened its big arms and embraced me:

 

 

1. I stopped hanging out with complaining people who were always talking about how broke they were. Major luxury repellent.

 

 

2. I sought out quality relationships with people who were no strangers to luxury. I wanted to learn how to think like them.

 

 

3. I spent more time in nature. There's nothing as luxurious as walking barefoot in the grass on a summer evening or a good hike in the woods.

 

 

4. Luxury abhors haste, so I slowed down and enjoyed cups of coffees and conversations with friends.

 

 

5. I stopped spending my money on the crap 2 for $20 shirts and saved up to buy the nice $100 one. Luxury is not about quantity; it's the quality that matters.

 

 

6. I hung out in the lobbies of fine hotels and just experienced the world of luxury. They don't charge you for lobby space.

 

 

7. I drove a junk car so I could splurge on good food. I still drive a less than luxurious car, but my life has not suffered one bit.

 

 

8. I followed my passion and attended sommelier school. The $500 initial investment opened me up to a whole different level of luxury where I was able to taste a $1000 bottle of wine and say something fancy like, "Hhhmm....I think it needs to breath for a while." Major luxury moment. (By the way, by following my desire to learn more about the world of wine, I was asked to write restaurant reviews for a regional magazine and create a wine program at a country club, which led to more luxurious experiences that paid me. How cool is that?)

 

 

9. I dressed and walked like a woman of luxury, meaning I didn't walk out of my house in baggy jeans and a T-shirt with my shoulders slumped.

 

 

10. I became a student of luxury, reading quality literature, watching classic films and reading Town and Country and Vogue.

 

 

11. I stopped listening to my thoughts that said things like, "Girl, you grew up in a trailer. Who do you think you are?" It's just needless chatter.

 

 

12. I started fully engaging with my world and the people in it, asking questions, seeking answers and constantly putting myself out there.

 

 

13. I put fresh flowers in my home.

 

 

14. I visited my parents more. They always make me feel like a Princess, even when we lived in a double wide.

 

 

15. I sought out quality conversations that discussed the important stuff, like death, life, religion, fashion and food and wine. Well, at least those things are important to me.

 

 

16. I attended luxurious events, such as an orientation for women at Duke's School of Business. Keep in mind, I was working as a full-time nurse and had never been in business. These events also didn't cost me a dime other than the gas to get there.

 

 

17. I started walking through Saks as if I belonged there, not like some freak whose eyes were going to pop out of my sockets when I saw the price of a Louis bag. Nope, just a shoulder shrug like it wasn't the bag for me.

 

 

18. I became mindful of what I put into my body and how I moved through the world. Yes, this means eating healthy and exercising.

 

 

19. I cleaned (and continue to clean) my world of low-quality people, things and experiences. Luxury does not co-exist with chaos, drama and clutter.

 

 

20. I believed I deserved a luxurious life. This is the most important of all. Many women are walking around feeling guilty if they invest $20 dollars in themselves. If that's you, listen to me. You are not doing yourself or the world of favor by denying yourself of a luxurious life. The most giving people I know live the good life, which is how they are able to help so many others. You've got to clean this thought up to let luxury in.

 

 

Bonus: I remembered this one after I finished the article, so let's just call it a bonus. One of the things I started doing was blessing those who lived a luxurious lifestyle, instead of judging and secretly hating them. By saying, "You go girl" every time I saw a woman rocking out her Prada dress, walking out of the massage parlor or sashaying into the Four Seasons, I was opening my heart to the Universe and saying, "Bring it on. I'm ready!"