Disguised luxury or luxurious life?
Disguised luxury or luxurious life?:
Stop discontent with luxuriously leadership practices
“Life is not graded on how fast you can move through it but rather how much you can enjoy it.” -Mary Carlomagno
Many think of “luxury” in terms of money, first-class, or fancy cars, but luxury is so much more. Yes, luxury can be a leadership practice! You ask, “How, Jamay?”
I was recently reminded of the ways that some public sector leaders and social enterprises live a deceptive life of luxury. They work endlessly at an unfulfilling job to buy external “luxurious” purchases or achieve a luxurious life. Maybe it’s a big house in a gated community or minivans (yes, minivans are considered a “luxury” by many because of the price). You probably know many leaders that do this too. When in fact true luxury resides in none of this. As a matter of fact, I was a recent guest on Cue the Creative talking about how emotions also impact our leadership.
In my leadership development work, I’ve seen this so many times I can’t even begin to count. As a former teacher leader in k-12 urban schools, and in leadership across industries, I’ve witnessed many leaders unfulfilled. They are so unhappy in their work, but still, claim a luxurious life because of their salaries or their vacation time. I used to be in this same boat too. Although exceptional at my work, I still felt something wasn’t right despite international awards and incredible professional development. I earned high marks, but none of that helped my unsettled feelings. Sound familiar?
Finally, I realized that the “feeling something wasn’t right” was impacting my ability to live a truly luxurious life. Think about it - we spend a lot of time at work. Coming to know that these thoughts weren’t serving me, I coached myself and changed my world. I changed my narrative. When I changed my professional life mindset, I knew that either I’ll change the job itself or I’d attract a luxurious job that matched my leadership mindset. The change was almost instant and my professional life overall became truly luxurious. Being a match for the luxuries of leadership makes everything in life a bit easier!
In my leadership lifestyle coaching, I support my leaders in developing these practices. I’ve had the great opportunity to do this work for over 15 years now! Practice these on your own and you’ll get there, but if you want to save yourself time, confusion, and guesswork and enroll in my Masterclass or Signature Program. Here is the answer to your “How?” to practice professional luxury rather than stress and discontent:
Check mediocrity. You are having stress in your professional life because of mediocrity throughout your life, and vice versa. I know some leaders that work for an organization and the low expectations they have with themselves are reflected in their home, their relationships with others (romantic, family, or otherwise), and of course their professional life. They are stuck at work and expect rewards from their colleagues and the organization, but they lack discipline in their lives. They are seeking outside rewards, in their professional life and elsewhere, and their professional situation is reflective of this. Your inner world will ultimately reflect your outer world.
Practice true luxury. I looked up luxury and it is defined as great comfort or something difficult to obtain, therefore an outcome of luxury is ease. Seek true luxury in your life personally and professionally. You will know you have obtained this because you describe your professional life, for example, as ease. I continually notice that leaders seek external indicators (raise, promotion, recognition), but they are miserable because they look outside themselves. Once they start to practice professional ease, external rewards follow naturally. In time and with conscious effort, professional luxury becomes a professional state of great comfort. It happens quickly once you work on your inner state of being.
These are three timeless luxurious practices. I’ve seen them make a big difference in my life and those I help. These are especially important professional practices, because, especially now with all that’s going on in the world, work can be hard when you work in the public sector or social enterprise. Practice these and you’ll see your life change.
The relationship you have with your professional life is a reflection of the relationship you have with yourself. Stay lavish.