I’ve read a lot of “success” books, and I take great interest in blog posts and articles that refer to the habits of successful women. The one thing that’s consistent across the board is that every one of these women has implemented regular success promoting habits into her life.

Let me be clear, there isn’t one definition of success. I believe that success is something that you define for yourself, just like Soul-Luxe Living is something that you choose and create for yourself. One woman’s version of success might be another woman’s hell. One woman’s idea of Soul-Luxe Living might be the antithesis of what yours is.

All of this aside, I have implemented several daily and weekly habits that support me in creating my own Soul-Luxe life. They might not be what you’d expect, but I do believe they will inspire you to consider what daily and weekly habits you could start implementing now to help you step into your Soul-Luxe life in 2017.

Here are 10 habits that help me to live my Soul-Luxe life in. There are more than what you see here, but this is a great snapshot of how I think about things, what’s important to me, and the lifestyle that I’ve created around my thinking and my priorities.

1. I set a daily intention for myself, and I set a weekly intention for my business. Intentions are a simple, yet very powerful practice for focusing your energy in a particular direction. Intentions are also a fantastic way to let the Universe know what you have in mind for the day, so all of your angels, teachers and guides can assist you along the way.

   Intentions are very different from a to-do list. Instead, they are a way for you to get clear on what it is you’d like to experience in any given day or week. I always include how I want to feel in my intention, and I love to invite the elements of magic, love and luxury into how I focus for the day or week ahead.

   Here is an example of an intention that I set just 4 days ago:

   “My intention for today is to RISE- rise above the noise, the distractions, and the stories that are playing out around me, and to feel peaceful, masterful, and grounded in all that I do. I intend to get internally and externally organized around how I do things in our home, the energy that I bring to what that I do, and to be clear in my why so that I am creating beauty all along the way. I intend for my life, and everything that it includes, to look and feel as amazing and delightful as I can imagine.”

   I also end each of my intentions with the phrase: “This or something even better for the highest good of all concerned.” This phrase is from Marianne Williamson, and it’s also a phrase that one of my mentors uses all of the time.

   I love ending my intentions this way because it allows for something even better to come my way – something I haven’t considered or thought of, or allowed myself to accept as a possibility for me, yet. These are often experiences that could change everything for me.

   This phrase also demonstrates a willingness to surrender my highest good to the Divine.  Just because I believe my intention is what I want, it may not actually be what I need. I trust that whatever comes my way, it is for my highest good.

2. I start my day with a soul-centering practice. As a mother of a very young boy and an entrepreneur, I am B-U-S-Y! There are days when my feet literally hit the ground running, and I don’t stop until I get into a hot bath at night, or turn out the lights for bed. I require a daily practice that connects me with ME, and reminds me of who I really am.

   My soul-centering practices vary depending on how I feel, what I need, and what I feel called to do. Sometimes it’s my yoga practice, and other days it’s journaling or doodling in my sketchbook. Right now I’m doing a Qigong practice every morning, and at other times I might meditate in silence. I have a movement practice that I love – I’ve even made a soundtrack for it – and other times I might want to dive into an interpretation of a dream.

   The whole point of these soul-centering practices is to disconnect from the demands and noise of the external world, and to re-connect with the eternal, all-knowing, infinitely wise part of myself that is love itself. From this place of deep connection I can meet my day with a powerful sense of Self. From this place, anything is possible!

3. I have a meeting with my husband every week to discuss family, finances, our relationship, and more. This is a newer practice that’s made all of the difference in how my husband and I communicate, connect and understand each other. When life gets busy it’s easy to just focus on accomplishing things and start neglecting the important people and partnerships in your life.

   These weekly meetings give my husband and I the opportunity to listen to and really see each other, to remind each other of who we are and why we’re doing what we’re doing, and to remember what’s really important to us and what really matters. We ground each other in these meetings, and we reflect to each other any blind spots we may have in how we’re going about accomplishing and achieving our goals.

   More than anything, these meetings create a sense of unity in our marriage, our family, and in our home. We get on the same page with each other, we invite the other to rise into their true potential, and we drop into the incredible love that we have for each other.

   This one practice alone has enhanced so much in our relationship, or home, and our hearts.

4. I prioritize my personal appointments and self-care. When I first started implementing this one habit into my life, I had tremendous resistance to doing it. I had an almost overwhelming feeling that if I put myself first in this way, everything else would fall apart. I worried I’d be perceived as being selfish and self-centered. I also believed I should be working or being productive all of the time.

   Even when I started prioritizing these kinds of appointments and things, I found myself trying to justify them to myself and others. But the reality of it all – the reality that I choose around this, at least – is that when I take care of myself, and when I prioritize my needs and requirements, I then get to show up as the best version of myself wherever I go.

   When my son was just a newborn, I had a big epiphany around this. I saw this innocent, beautiful soul who was completely reliant upon me. He trusted me to play this hugely important role in his life completely and implicitly.

   In a moment of pure love for him, I realized it wasn’t fair to him for me to not take exquisite care of myself, and to not do my best to ensure I’m in a good place. When I can be in a good place for him, for my husband, for my clients, and for my business, everything flows.

5. I spend time outside, even in the cold winter months. I used to live in a climate that had cold, rainy weather for 9+ months out of the year. It was really easy to stay inside nearly all of the time because who wants to go out in that? But I learned really quickly that being outside, and being outside in nature in particular, is a soul-nourishing activity that I actually require in my life.

   So what did I do? I invested in some awesome Gore-Tex clothing and shoes, and voila! Being outside was a cinch! Today, I live in a very sunny (more sunny than L.A., if you can believe it) climate that is also prone to extreme temperature shifts and changes. I still use my Gore-Tex, but I’ve also acquired some additional layers because living in Colorado is all about dressing in layers!

   When I’m outside, I get to reconnect with the natural rhythms and cycles that are humming along around me. I get to see what the trees are doing, feel the wind and sun on my face, smell the seasonal changes in the air, and let go of all of the human-made madness that can feel all-consuming.

   For me, when I’m outside, time slows down. I breathe more deeply. And I get a little space from all of the busy-ness of the day to reflect and remember what’s really important to me.

6. I make time for beauty every day. A few years ago I had a powerful dream on the morning of my 40^th I heard a voice say to me, “Beauty first… The rest will follow.” Now, it helped that I was waking up in a beautiful hotel room in Paris, but even when I returned home, I’ve been holding this message very near and dear to my heart.

   Beauty is one of those “je ne sais quoi” elements – in that it always adds that little extra something to any and every experience. For me, making time for beauty means I actually take the time to dress in the morning – I dress in a way that pleases me and enhances my beauty. I love to eat in a way that allows me to take in the beauty of the food.

   I avoid eating when I’m rushed or on the go, and instead I stop my day to sit and enjoy a meal on a plate, often near a vase of fresh flowers, or while listening to beautiful music. I choose to do less so that I can be more present for, and elevate the things that I do do.

   I am aware of my environment, and am almost always looking for a way to have that environment feel more pleasing to the eye, and more conducive to whatever is going to take place there. Sometimes this is about clearing clutter, or taking care of that project that’s been sitting in that one place for weeks. Other times it’s about rearranging furniture or where the candles are sitting on the table, so that there is a feeling of balance and harmony that emanates from that space.

   All of these things require time and attention, but the rewards go far beyond what you might assume.

7. I listen to my body and honor her requirements. This one is a “biggie”. Many women, myself included, were taught to ignore our bodies from a very young age, and to be upset or feel inconvenienced by our bodies if it needed more attention that usual. In today’s day and age, it’s almost as if the body is here to merely support the over-active brain and the lofty goals and ambitions that we all carry. And when you’re young, if you’re blessed with good health, this is almost entirely possible!

   But if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years it’s this: this is not a healthy or sustainable practice. Your body provides you with an amazing connection to your soul. So when you’re ignoring that twinge of pain in your low back, or when you’re drinking oodles of coffee every day just to keep yourself going at a neck-breaking pace, or when you’re swallowing pain pills every month to be able to push through menstrual cramps, there is much more going on.

   Your soul is actually communicating with you through your body, letting you know that something is out of alignment and requires your attention.

   So when I listen to my body, and I honor her requirements – which are most definitely not always convenient – I have the opportunity to listen more deeply to that inner compass that’s doing it’s best to guide me toward my true and ultimate greatness.

   This one habit has transformed everything in my life for the better – especially my business and my financial reality!

8. I make the decision to laugh a lot! Don’t you just love to laugh?? So why not do more of it? As often as you can! Laughter has taught me so much about how freaking serious I can get about life, and how easy it can be to put a lot of energy into things that really don’t deserve me.

   I have a very vivid memory of an incident from when my son was just a few months old. He was spitting up a lot that day, and I’d managed to catch nearly all of it with a burp cloth, which was great because I’d showered that morning and was doing my best to stay clean and clear of all vomit… ha-ha!

   And then I caught a little bit on my shirt, then a little on my shoulder, and then a little on my leg. I started to get upset about it – I mean, who wants that? But then (I still don’t know how he did this…) my son literally projectile vomited all over me. It wasn’t a little bit like before. It was massive!

   It hit me in the face, it dripped down my neck and into my bra, it oozed down my shirt and onto both of my legs, and it even landed on my bare feet and the carpet below. I was in shock when it happened – I just stood there, frozen and in complete awe of the magnitude and velocity of it all. And then, as I could feel myself starting to get upset, I decided to just LAUGH.

   It was most definitely a choice in that moment, and it was the start of a habit that I love. Laughter changes the mood and the energy of everything, and it reminds me that how I feel in any given situation or circumstance is far more important that the situation or circumstance itself.

9. I indulge my desires on a regular basis, but I avoid overindulgence. This one might feel tricky to you, or like it’s a slippery slope of some kind, and I completely understand that mindset. You might feel like opening the doors to your desires will only lead to gluttony, self-centeredness, or even losing yourself altogether. But hear me out here.

   Indulging your desires is really about no longer depriving yourself, or only giving in to your desires when you feel you’ve earned them. That mindset kept me trapped in a very vicious cycle of self-denial, proving, bingeing, and then beating myself up for not being disciplined or strong enough. NO thank you!

   now indulge my desires on a regular basis – I eat the piece of chocolate, I buy that nice thing that I really, really want for myself, and I take action when I know something is really going to please me. But I avoid doing any of these things when I feel rushed, or when it’s more of a compulsion than a considered and true desire.

   I’ve discovered that by having this level of generosity toward myself, my life has become infinitely more pleasurable, and my dreams and wishes no longer feel out of reach. I know they will be mine, and I know what it feels like to have the things I really want – so there is a high level of confidence and self-trust there, too.

10. I go to bed at a regular, and early time, every night. I fought this habit for a long time, too. Most women are actually really sleep deprived, and I was one of them, so I knew this was going to be a really “healthy” habit for me to implement. But somehow, I felt “old” and like I’d miss something when I started go to bed earlier.

    But in the process of really giving my body the rest and recovery that it needed – every night – my mental clarity and creativity sky-rocketed, my stamina and productivity went through the roof, and I was better able to focus on the things that really mattered the most to me during the day.

    I gained so much of myself with this habit, and in the end, I haven’t felt like I’ve given up a single thing, except that droopy feeling that used to hit me right around 3:30 in the afternoon…

May these habits serve to inspire you in 2017, and support you in creating your own Soul-Luxe life this year. Remember, living an exceptional life asks you to become an exceptional woman, and to adopt exceptional habits that deeply support you in being who you’re really meant to be.

A life of true luxury is never so full that you can’t enjoy it. Instead, it’s filled only with the things that give you the freedom to be your best self, and to enjoy the very best of what life has to offer.

My 12-month Stepping Into Soul-Luxe Living program has been designed to help you make space for the things that matter the most to you, to release the things that don’t, and to create the habits that will sustain you in the life you desire to live.

Curious about the details of the program? Click here to learn more!