Shopping for a Lifestyle

My understanding about ‘lifestyle’ was that it was how you moved your authentic self through life e.g. healthy lifestyle would be you ate your veg, took the dog for a walk and didn’t partake in the cigarettes and alcoholic naughtiness.

Now we can’t be doing too well at figuring this out for ourselves so guides have sprung up all over the place designed to show us what lifestyles we should or could be achieving – lifestyle blogs, lifestyle stores, lifestyle magazines, even lifestyle gurus ..

When I look at most of them they seem to be selling this lifestyle, it’s not something you can just hop in to.  You need the clothes, furniture, car, exotic holidays to achieve this ‘exquisite’ lifestyle we should all be striving for.

I’ve been swept along with some of it myself, I love good bedding so have in the past paid extra to get beautiful white bed linens.  It makes me feel good so I figure it’s worth every penny to imagine I’m sleeping in a farm house in Provence rather than the reality.  Sort of Total Recall without the painful bug up your nose experience..

My current gig is working for a lifestyle brand and I can see a difference between those that take part like me (infrequent splurges on items that will be treasured) and others who are definitely trying to achieve lifestyle nirvana (they buy the whole kit and caboodle!).  And it’s not just us helping them achieve, as is evident from the Mulberry handbags, designer watches/clothes/shoes they are also draped in.

The strange thing is, the customer who buys the odd thing comes in with a delighted look on their face, chats away happily and leaves with a nicely wrapped purchase, a big smile and a twinkle in their eyes.  The lifestyle overachiever drags herself in stony faced (could be the botox!), sneers at the assistants, spends a fortune and leaves without a glimmer of joy.  Well we are happy to take her money assist in her lifestyle choice so we are smiling!

I live a mostly authentic life – bit too authentic at times!  But that’s when I can pick up my favourite mug, fill it with hot chocolate and sit in the garden dreaming of lavender fields ..  That lifestyle suits me just fine.