Here’s how I upgraded my lifestyle

Salam,

Last time I told you about how I help my clients clarify what their values are. Today, I wanted to share what one of my values is and how I manage to align myself to it to create joy in my daily life.

One thing that I value immensely is aesthetics. I like beautiful things. I’ve always been drawn to luxury, not in the materialistic sense but in the qualitative sense. I enjoy noble and classy designs, materials, architecture, furniture…

I come from a modest and big family in which aesthetics was not a priority. Affordability and quantity were, so I’ve often had a feeling that something was missing in my lifestyle while growing up.

As I got to know myself and my values better, I created rituals that allow me to upgrade my life to the level of beauty I want it to be at. Here are some of them:

I invest in chic loungewear made out of fluid fabrics that make me feel feminine like satin and silk. I have nothing against hoodies and leggings once in a while but I much prefer outfits that are comfortable AND elegant. I particularly like co-ord sets. I own a couple that I absolutely love wearing indoors!

1. I take care of my hair and style it everyday, even if styling sometimes means a cute messy bun.

2. I get myself beautiful jewellery that matches my skin tone and outfits.

3. I emphasise on scents a lot at home: I light bakhoor everyday and purify the air with sage regularly. I also put perfume on myself and use moisturisers that smell YUMMY.

4. I don’t have a lot of furniture and the dominant colour in my apartment is white. Less is definitely more! More space to create, more space to be, more space to thrive.

5. I use matching dish sets to keep it uniform and visually pleasing.

6. I keep my apartment clean and organised. Everything belongs somewhere, everything is categorised in a way that makes it functional and neat.

Obviously, these aren’t must follow rules for you but a simple list of what brings alignment in my life.

These habits have become second nature to me and have allowed me to make my home a sacred place in which I truly feel like a queen.

It’s exciting to wake up in the morning when I know I’ll be doing those small things that make me happy!

The other important point is that through these habits, I am also teaching something to my daughter:

1. It’s not because we cover ourselves outside that we should neglect our appearance

2. A woman doesn’t need to wait for a man in her life to embody her femininity

3. Allah loves beauty and He wants us to experience it in this life through the blessings He bestows upon us: it’s okay to want and own nice things!

I hope this inspires you to dig deep into what your values are and to create joyful rituals out of them!

Soumaya