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spiritual growth
CategoriesELEGANT BEAUTY, MANIFESTING INNER PEACE

How to Connect With the Divine Through: BEAUTY | Spiritual Growth

Ever felt like Spiritual Growth & Personal Growth was really hard sometimes?

Women all around the world are feeling overwhelmed by life right now and to top it all off they are women who strongly desire inner peace! Argh! What to do?

That’s what this Series is all about and that is most definitely what this week’s post is about.

I want to show you how BEAUTY can be used to help you connect with The Divine so that life begins feeling…well… BEAUTIFUL!

And also that life begins to flow more elegantly. Ready?

In last week’s post I spoke about Creativity and how the Divine is constantly intending for something to be created. YOU were intended and created too – isn’t that so special?

Everything the Divine creates is beautiful – yes, even the sometimes challenging experiences that we are gifted in order to help us grow and evolve.

You see the Divine always desires the best outcome, the most expansive outcome for it’s creations, and therefore you wouldn’t be given an opportunity for spiritual growth in your life if it were not beautifully intended to serve you in some way; to help you become more full of beauty and expansiveness.

So, the next time you are feeling like,

Why me, God???”

Remember that the experience was purposefully created for you in order to gift you the opportunity to grow into who you truly desire to be. (aka the most beautiful version of yourself)

If you are currently experiencing something difficult ask yourself these questions:

  1. What is it from this experience that I can learn?
  2. What woman can I become by experiencing this?

The second way you can experience Spiritual Growth and Connection with the Divine is through focusing on YOUR beauty.

I want you to begin having reverence for yourself. Why? Because it is imperative that you tune in to the fact that you wouldn’t be here if you were not intended by God to be here.

You were created exactly the way the Divine desired and intended you to be so please be grateful for who you are and have deep reverence for it.

You can begin a pilgrimage of getting to know, love and accept yourself by:

  1. Remembering who you were as a child. Think back to how you were as a child in terms of your talents, personality, natural abilities, joys, likes etc.
  2. Give yourself permission to BE that person again, albeit, in a potentially more refined way now that you are a woman.
  3. Start dressing in the style that you love. (Watch the video above at minute 12:34 to hear me share a recent story of mine where a Parisian woman solidified this point for me)

So, when we start viewing beauty in ALL things; opportunities, challenges, people, places, and US (both inside and out) we live in resonance with Divine energy, because the Divine IS beauty.

I’ll be spending a full day on the topic of getting to know ourselves intimately, loving ourselves deeply and expressing our inner and outer beauty during a retreat that I’ll be speaking to you about in a few weeks, but for now, focus on the things I’ve mentioned here for a whole week. I guarantee you’ll feel like a brand new woman in just 7 days.

If you can think of any woman who you love and would benefit from hearing about this or any other topic on The Elegant Life, please use the SHARE buttons at the top of this post.  We need more women living from a Divine space of Beauty in this world.

With all my love,

 

 

ekurt
CategoriesHOME DECOR, MANIFESTING INNER PEACE, MANIFESTING LOVE & PLEASURE

How to Use the * Konmari Method * to Become a Woman Who Lives Elegantly

Marie Kondo, creator of The Konmari Method, got it right when she said,

When you surround yourself with possessions that spark joy, you’ll create a life and home you love.

In Marie’s book, “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up”, she teaches an elegant method that will help you get to know yourself better and create a life and home that truly represents you and the life you desire to live.

Want to have a little tour of my home?

Come inside and I’ll show you some things that spark JOY in me and how you can use my tips and Marie’s to fully become a Woman Who Lives Elegantly.

Now, if we relate the Konmari Method to The Elegant Life, which is a life filled with:

  • a knowing of who you really are
  • a knowing of how to move through life with ease & elegance
  • a knowing of inner peace
  • a knowing of your beauty & signature self
  • a knowing of what brings you JOY and continuously adding more of it to your life
  • a knowing of what your gifts and passions are and how to express them in the world
  • a knowing that you are part of Divine energy
  • and a knowing that Life is Beautiful!

We can see that The Konmari Method is a method that women can use to help them live The Elegant Life! Because, when we focus on JOY, as Marie Kondo suggests, we are in direct alignment with the essence of The Elegant Life.

When we ask the possessions in our home, “Do you spark JOY within me?” we are literally creating our Elegant Life by letting go of what isn’t us and isn’t serving us, and only keeping and letting in the things that represent who we are and the life we truly desire to live.

French Homes and the Konmari Method

There is something I have always adored about French homes and french decor.  When you visit someone’s home in France you really get a sense of who the owners are.

French homes are not always typically “beautiful” or put together like you’d see in a magazine, but they ooze individuality and presence.

They have a personality, an essence all unto themselves and you REALLY get to know more about whoever’s home you’re in.

It’s a pleasure to walk around and hear stories about the possessions they have on display.  

It’s so intriguing to witness the colour palettes they use.

And again, it’s not that the decor looks perfect, it’s how the person has used their home as another way to express their signature self.

Have a look at these Parisian Apartments featured on TheArchitectualDigest website.

konmari method
konmari method
konmari method
konmari method
konmari method

I have walked through many beautiful homes and felt no soul whatsoever, and I have walked through very modest homes and felt absolutely enamoured by them.

The difference?

The owner’s sense of self and a knowingness of who they are and what sparks JOY within them.

Take a moment right now and wander around your home, or simply spin around in your chair and look around the room you’re currently in… does it show who you are?  Does everything in it spark JOY within you?

If someone were to walk into your home, would they be able to know something about you without you even speaking?

A Parisian in My Home!

A few months back we had our friends over for dinner; Jean-Louis, the husband, is Parisian.

The moment Jean-Louis walked into my home he began wandering.  He looked at everything I had on my walls and the things I had on little tables and as he did this I could hear him saying, “Oh!” and “Mmmmm…”.

I have to admit that the francophile in me LOVED that he, the Parisian, found my home fascinating and interesting. 

The real feeling in me though, was one of happiness.  Because I could see him enjoying our home and learning more about us as a result.

One object intrigued him enough to ask a question and this opened up a whole beautiful discussion.

So I ask you again, hoping not to sound too redundant, “Does your home spark JOY in you?”

Do the clothes you own, the blankets that cover you, the photos and pictures on the walls, represent YOU?

What do they say about you?

If you don’t feel your home represents you, then I highly recommend you begin using the Konmari Method that Marie Kondo so beautifully teaches.

This month on the blog we have been focusing on knowing yourself, honouring yourself and loving yourself…

Has anything shifted for you in your life this month after reading the blog posts?  I’d be so curious to hear about it!

I’ve already heard from some women who say they have given themselves more permission this month to enjoy things they love.

Ça c’est merveilleux!

Next week we will end this month’s theme with a BIG CELEBRATION as the winner of the Self-Love Challenge will be announced!!!

Stay tuned for that!

With so much love,

signatt

 

 

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  elegant living

ekurt
valentines day ideas
CategoriesMANIFESTING LOVE & PLEASURE

Valentine’s Day Ideas – How to Celebrate Like an Elegant Woman

Looking for some fabulous Valentine’s Day ideas?  Well, as you know already, we do things a bit differently here at The Elegant Life:)

As Elegant women, we always check in with ourselves first.

And when we do this, we have a knowingness of what our soul desires and how it would like to ENJOY Valentines Day.

Now, I’ve always had a dilemma because j’adore themed holidays!  I think it’s the teacher in me:)  So, to go out for dinner and be served everything in heart shapes would thrill me to no end…the problem is, my husband doesn’t feel the same way.

He resists holidays like Valentine’s Day because he dislikes the commercialism of it.  He prefers to be loving and generous to me all year round (okay, and to not have to pay triple the amount for a meal and flowers).

This used to really hurt me.  And the hurt often turned to resentment….“You know I love it, so why can’t you just do it for me?”

However, as you realised from last week’s post on How to Elegantly Set Boundaries, we as Elegant women must know what we require and then decide what we will do if the other person does not give us what we need.

WE are responsible for our own happiness.  

So, here’s what I decided to do, since he wouldn’t budge:

a) I became clear on what I actually LOVE about Valentines Day. You know me by now:) Yes, I love the fact that it’s all about LOVE.

b) I also love how you can easily have a themed evening around it.

c) I also love showing people how much I love them.

d) I love sharing the excitement of a holiday with my kids – they’re exactly like me:) YEAH!

So, for the past 5 years I have been creating a themed Valentines Day dinner, at home with my family, that I love so much.  Yep, heart shaped lights, heart shaped pizzas, heart shaped cakes and decorations, and a LOVE HUNT where my kiddies follow clues that are all based around ways we love each other.

And while I do this, my heart is filled with LOVE, my kiddies hearts are filled with LOVE and my hubby stares at me from a distance with a loving gaze and says, “I love you. The way you get excited about all this is so amazing, so YOU. How lucky our kids are to have you as their mummy.”

And all is well in my world on Valentine’s Day.

If I didn’t do this and my hubby surprised me with a dinner out one year (which I still would love to happen at least once, but there’s zero attachment to it) I would actually miss this little tradition I’ve created.

So, let me ask you a few questions:

If you had to plan your own personal Valentine’s Day,

  • What would you eat?
  • What would you do?
  • What kind of woman would you BE on this day?
  • What gift would you love to receive?

I invite you to create your own special evening, and if you choose to invite someone to share it with you, that’s YOUR choice.

If I didn’t have a partner and children, or for some reason if I was alone on this day I would:

  1. Buy some Processco and luxury dark chocolates for myself.
  2. Treat myself to a warm aromatherapy bubble bath.
  3. Go online and purchase myself something special from Charlotte Tilbury, NEOM, or Elemis.
  4. Spend a bit of time planning the next “Girls Getaway”  with my friends, Sandrine & Laura (this year it’s Italy!)
  5. Watch a movie that my soul desires to watch.

BLISS! Magnifique!

I would FULLY be able to enjoy this day because of the amount of Self-Love I have for myself.  I don’t need anyone to “make” me happy, I know how to do that all by myself. And with this energy emanating from me, who knows what I’ll experience or bring into my life?

I’d be curious to hear how you are celebrating (or not) this Valentine’s Day!  Are you like me and LOVE the whole theme of love hearts? Or do you prefer to cook a simple dinner for two and watch a movie together?  Or, do you go all out, with dinner, hotel and presents?

Please share it in the comments below!

Next week I’ll be sharing yet another way to increase your self-love, so I’ll see you back here soon!

Joyeuse Saint Valentin! xo

signatt

 

 

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ekurt
setting boundaries
CategoriesMANIFESTING INNER PEACE

Setting Boundaries – How to Elegantly Honour Yourself

Setting boundaries is something women know in their core that they need to do in order to fully take care of themselves, but often they fear the backlash or their own feelings of guilt for voicing their needs.

Plus, the majority of women have no idea HOW to elegantly set a boundary, and if we’re being honest here, which you know I always am, then I’ll just say it, most women don’t have the amount of self-love or self-respect that is required to set a healthy boundary.

Because most woman are unable to set boundaries they often feel:

  1. Powerless
  2. Small and unimportant
  3. Resentful
  4. Hurt
  5. Angry

Here’s what Women Who Live Elegantly know: we teach people how to treat us. Plain and simple.

We cannot blame our kids for talking rudely to us.

We cannot blame our partners for not treating us the way we want.

We cannot blame a co-worker for speaking down to us.

And we cannot blame someone who wrote a hurtful comment on our Facebook feed.

We women require to take ownership of how we allow things to make us feel and how we allow people to treat us.

So, I ask you,

“What area(s) of your life would you like to set a healthy boundary?”

Be specific here.

Is a friend always late for your coffee dates?

Do your children talk back to you or not even listen to you when you ask them to start or stop doing something?

How about your partner? Do they make plans without even asking you? Do they put you down when you talk about things you’re excited about?

Make your list right now.  I’ll wait:)

Now, take this list and rewrite it with the energy of self-love, self-respect & self-empowerment.

Here’s an example:

I require my friends to show up on time for our coffee dates.

I require my friends to be present with me, not checking their iPhone every 20 seconds.

I require my children to speak politely to me and look me in the eyes when I’m speaking to them.

I require affection from my husband on a regular basis.

Now, remember this:

People can’t know what we require if we don’t voice it.

Yes, voicing our needs can be difficult.  Trust me, I know!  Setting boundaries has been something I have had to practice BIG TIME!

I’ve had people treat me disrespectfully and instead of teaching them how to treat me I walked away and either cried, vented to someone or felt sick to my stomach for days on end.

If you’ve read or watched The Making of a Spiritual Woman Video Series you know that I had a very difficult time setting boundaries with men.

It was only when I began feeling a real sense of self-love in France that I began to be better at setting boundaries.  I loved myself and no longer needed the approval or permission of anyone to like what I liked or be treated as I wanted to be treated.

It definitely took practise and even to this day there are certain situations in which I still find it difficult to set a boundary.

However now,  I know how my soul and body feel when I haven’t set a boundary, so I instantly recognise this and make a conscious effort, in the moment, to voice what I require.

The Elegant Way of Setting Boundaries:

1.Voice your need.

2. State what YOU will do if your need is not met.  Remember, it’s not the other person’s responsibility to change, it’s YOU who has to decide what your action will be if your need is not met.  And yes, I know this takes courage.

Here are a couple of examples for you to see how this looks and sounds in action:)

“When I’m with you, I need to feel you’re present with me, and when you check your iPhone all the time it doesn’t feel right. So, in the future, if this happens I’ll have to graciously leave.”

“I need to feel affection from you on a regular basis. I need you to take my hand when we walk down the street, to come up behind me and hug me, and to give me a loving kiss, not a peck when you leave in the morning.  These things make me feel loved. If I don’t feel this affection from you I am going to begin seeing a counsellor to determine whether or not I can remain in this relationship.”

Notice how I’m very clear about my needs and what I require, and how I voice them, without anger or judgement, just simply matter of fact.

One thing I know for sure, from direct experience, is that when you DO set a boundary with someone, you feel a deep sense of self-respect and self honouring. And with this, your self-love just grows and grows.

And when your self-love grows and grows, you stop attracting people or situations that require you to set boundaries. 

Why?

Because you resonate a different vibration; a vibration that is no longer a match to people or situations that would require you to set a boundary.

I’ll leave you with this:

It is your responsibility to protect your soul. Therefore you must be very clear about your needs and what your soul requires and voice that to whomever it applies.

You must also ONLY allow supportive people to be gifted space in your sacred energy field.

This includes social media friends or followers, partners, children, family members and friends you meet with in person.

It’s not anyone’s job to change or act differently, it’s up to you to voice what you require and allow the other person to make a choice as to whether or not they want to support that need of yours.

If someone speaks to you disrespectfully then with love, simply bless them and let them go from your life.

You can also choose to give someone a chance if they mean a lot to you. But, I have a rule for myself that if someone does or says something more than 2 times, they are not allowed in my energy field anymore. Period. 

When you honour yourself and let go of things and people that no longer “jive with your vibe” you create more space for those who DO to enter your life.

Trust me on this one.  It’s a beautiful, beautiful experience when all that’s left in your world are things, experiences and people who love you, respect you and only want to support you.

I call this my Red Velvet Rope Policy – I open my rope to escort people out and I open it to cheerfully welcome people in.

I do this without anger or sadness. I simply do it with love; love for myself and love for the other person.

I’m so curious to hear your experience with setting boundaries.  Have you found it difficult?  If so, in what kinds of situations?

How have you handled setting boundaries in your life?

Until next week,

signatt

ekurt
self love challenge
CategoriesELEGANT BEAUTY, MANIFESTING INNER PEACE, MANIFESTING LOVE & PLEASURE

The 28 Day Self-Love Challenge! (*With Giveaway*)

The-8

Ladies! Are you up for a Beautiful Challenge?

About 2 weeks ago, the Divine told me that I was to focus on Self-Love in February.

Normally in February the world focuses on “relationship” love, but I know (and you know) that the only way to attract or experience the type of love you desire in your life is to be in complete & total love with your SELF.

Self-Love changes everything. How?

The Top 5 Benefits of Self-Love:

1. You don’t “need” anyone to make you happy.

2. You effortlessly become or maintain your ideal weight.

3. You attract friends and lovers who truly love you & bring you joy.

4. You attract & manifest what you desire with ease and elegance.

5. You are able to make a real impact as you serve your purpose on earth.

Of course there are many, many more benefits of self-love, but these are at the top!

Now, the word “self-love” has never really resonated with me.  I don’t know why but I felt no connection to it.  It didn’t stir up a desire for me to change or work on myself.

Can you relate?

I’d see a headline on the front cover of a magazine about Self-Love and either roll my eyes, thinking, “Not again” or “Boring!”.  The words just didn’t resonate with me.

But… what I realised is that I REALLY resonate with the word LOVE.

That one word feels FULL to me.  It feels warm and all encompassing.  I even love the way the word LOVE looks!

Most importantly though, I love the way love feels; when I give it and when I receive it.

By “give it” I also mean that I love the feeling when I “give love” to myself and fully “receive love” from myself.

Now THIS resonates with me. THIS has meaning for me and stirs up the desire to actually commit to doing it because I have felt the benefits and seen the benefits.

There are so many ways I have learned to give myself love.  Here are just a few that have strongly impacted my life…

5 Ways to Give Yourself Love

1. Have a “Red Velvet Rope Policy” for your life. Bless and let go of anyone or anything that makes you feel anything less than loved or joyful.

2. Gift yourself things or experiences that your soul desires.

3. Make yourself a priority.

4. Have a daily ritual that honours who you ARE, as well as the woman you desire to BE.

5. Gift your body high vibrational foods in order to honour her.

BONUS!

Every day tell yourself 1 thing that you LOVE about yourself.

Each week in February I am going to elaborate on one of the ideas above.  My intention is to share with you simple and pleasurable ways you can give LOVE to yourself so that you feel JOYFUL  & PEACEFUL inside, and that your outer reality aligns with these feelings and therefore attracts all good things that are a vibrational match.

The other thing I was divinely guided to do was to create a 28 Day Self-Love Challenge! I’m SO excited! J’adore GIFTING!!!

Here’s how it’s going to work:

  1. Head on over to either The Elegant Life’s Facebook Page OR Instagram Page  and “Follow” or “Like” the page.
  2. Each day in February, starting February 1st, return to the platform you choose to follow and watch for the post that looks like this:self-love challenge
  3. In the comment section post 1 thing you love about yourself or your life.
  4. If you comment on all 28 days your name will be entered into a luxurious giveaway! To acknowledge all the women who committed to cultivating self-love within themselves I will be adding their names to a draw and then gifting 1 woman from the draw a beautiful & highly luxurious gift that will be sent straight to her door!
Your name will ONLY be entered into the draw if you have “LIKED” or “FOLLOWED” one of the social media platforms listed above AND commented on all 28 days of the challenge. NO exceptions. A draw will be made on March 1st and the winner will be announced and contacted so that the giveaway prize can be promptly shipped. WOMEN ONLY.

ENJOY the process.  ENJOY the feeling. ENJOY the LOVE!

Because, as the French would say… L’amour, c’est magnifique!

Gros Bisous,

signatt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ekurt