There is a quote that has been floating around the internet for years now. Every time it’s shared, it’s quickly reposted, reshared, and liked more often. I even sent them.
A viral quote is simple and goes like this:
“6 luxuries in life:
1. time
2. health
3. quiet mind
4. early in the morning
5. meaningful work
6. a house full of love.”
It’s not hard to see why this saying resonates. It deals with things that are universally understood as important and meaningful, but not necessarily enjoyed by everyone.
Ifluxurydefined as “a state of abundance or of great ease and comfort,” these six things describe it well.
But there’s something about that list that I think about every time I see it. None of these six items are for sale. And they never have.
However, we live in a world that tries to make us believe that a comfortable life is something to be bought.
It seems almost every day of our lives, we are inundated with messages designed to sell us a false form of “luxury.” A nice house, a new phone, a luxury vacation, a limited port, a fragrance that promises to make the opposite sex swoon.
The messages are so good and ubiquitous, the things they sell slowly, over time, become our meaningluxury. They are shiny, fun, satisfying (at least for a moment), and desired by so many, that they begin to feel like the greatest expression of a life of abundance.
But as we know from experience, that feeling quickly fades—it always leaves us wanting more.
And I don’t know about you, but if there’s a kind of luxury that doesn’t fade, that’s what I’d like to dedicate my life to pursuing! Based on the viral nature of the list above, I’m confident I’m not alone.
Of course, one of the reasons why the fake version of luxury is bought by so many is because it seems easier to achieve than true, long-lasting luxury.
These luxuries—quiet minds, early mornings, meaningful work—are not easy to come by. They need time, attention, self-examination. They require purpose, difficult decisions, and sometimes even difficult conversations. They also require us to live differently from the cultures around us.
It’s easy to fill a shopping cart. It’s hard to ask:What do I really want in this one life I’ve been given? And what changes do I need to make to get them?
The world offers us counterfeits because they are easy to make, easy to market and sell, easy to accept, and easy to profit from.
A scented candle in a jar is easier than promoting peace in a chaotic home. A well-staged brunch is easier than carving out an hour of meaningful communication. A big salary is easier than the hard work of finding a valuable job. And it’s easier to buy a trip to Disneyland than to build a lifetime of habits that support lasting health.
However, while these deep luxuries may not be easy to find, they are not entirely outside of us.
Time, health, a peaceful mind, a slow morning, a meaningful career, and a home full of love—these things may not be guaranteed, and they may not come quickly. But they are not as far out of our control as we sometimes think.
And like everything else, the first step to making these realities a reality is believing they can happen:
We gain more time by choosing what is important and letting go of what is not.
We protect our health with small, consistent steps in the right direction.
We quiet our minds by reducing noise, outside and inside.
We enjoy walking a little in the morning when we stop over-packing our days (and maybe get up earlier).
We move toward meaningful work by paying attention to our gifts and values and appreciating their value.
We nurture love in our homes not by perfection, but by presence.
Of course, not every situation in life is beyond our control. Life brings difficulties, and some seasons are more difficult than others. But more often than we realize, our lives reflect the things we choose to pursue. And while we can’t control everything that happens to us, we can always control how we react.
So let’s choose well.
Let’s define luxury differently than the world around us. Let’s stop chasing for the moment and start pursuing the permanent. Let’s live a rich life, not to be rich with things.
Because life’s greatest luxuries cannot be bought in a store. But they can be built. One thoughtful, purposeful decision at a time.