How The Places You Visit Can Elevate Your Everyday Life

When I started working toward a more sophisticated life for myself there were many different elements to focus on to create this lifestyle on purpose. I worked to elevate my style, poise, home, surroundings, and decorum to name a few.  But there was one element that had eluded my attention for a long time and that was being mindful of the places I visit.  While we may spend most of our time at home and/or in the office, there are still so many other places that we visit that are not home and work that requires just as much discernment (if not more) as the other elements. That important element is the places you visit. It seems such an innocuous thing that shouldn’t matter, but it does and in so many ways.

What I know to be true is that everything has an energetic feeling to it and the places that we visit reinforces the kind of person we want to be in a way that is different from everything else that we may consider. If you have journaled about the essence words of what you want your life to look and feel like, then the places you visit should also match those words as well.  If you haven’t done this process, then I highly recommend taking some time to journal three essence words you want to use to help guide you through everyday life. Mine are elegant, sophisticated and luxurious, so I visit places that match these essence words as much as I can.  While this isn’t a perfect practice all the time (at some point I will need to stop off to refuel the car or go to the doctor), whenever I go out for either leisure, shopping, entertainment, etc., I always search out the places that best align with my essence words.

The places we visit leaves an impression on us and can either inspire us to an elevated mindset or simply drain us. Here’s how the places we visit can influence our everyday lives and why it’s important to be diligent about this particular element.

How The Places We Visit Create a Luxury Mindset

• Who we think we are guides our decisions more than you may realize. If you are currently working through creating an elevated self-image then putting yourself in elevated surrounding can help reinforce the “new you” as well as create an elegant mindset for everyday living.

• Visiting places that aligns with our essence words can provide inspiration for the many different aspects of daily life.  Whether it’s meals to make at home inspired by a fine dining restaurants, decor inspiration from an elevated home store like Restoration Hardware, or style inspiration from stores like Banana Republic, Ralph Lauren, or J. Crew. We are always gleaning inspiration from our surroundings, so pick those that match who you want to be.

• Being around luxury, design, art, and architecture sparks new ideas about what’s possible for your own life. Experiencing luxury first hand recalibrates what you consider “normal” in quality, service, and environment. You start seeing life as full of opportunities instead of limitations.

• Once you start visiting places that are more elevated, you start to set a higher standard as to what comes into your daily life as well.  If you visit a place like a fine dining restaurant and experience a quality meal, you may notice that the meals you start cooking at home are also more elevated too.  It’s the same with visiting a clothing store like a Banana Republic for example.  Once you visit a BR store where everything is clean, organized, on beautiful wooden hangers and surrounded by a beautifully decorated store, going to a place that does not have the same luxury feeling will feel incongruent and less quality.  In order to pursue quality, you must resist the urge to go “bargain” simply due to cheaper (and usually) more subpar items.

• Creating a new self-image for ourselves can be hard work, especially when we are in the same surroundings as we’ve always been. Visiting places that align with who we want to be can provider a quicker way to get there. It can reinforce back to us that we are refined, sophisticated and elegant and that this is the type of place that you naturally belong in. 

How The Places We Visit Creates a Luxury Environment

• In order to display cultivated taste and show a high level of sophistication and attention to detail in appearance and behavior, you must put yourself in environments where these attributes are a default, not the exception.  Where you visit can help you cultivate these traits more easily. Having refined taste also means the places that you put yourself in too.  Look to elevate places you visit to feel more in line with who you want to be. Often people feel nervous or worried that they will be “found out” because it is not where they are used to going, but after you visit these places a few times, you will start to not only feel more comfortable being there, but you’ll start to believe that you belong there too.

• The sensory calm of luxury environments can reset a default of stress and mediocrity and restore a more refined focus. Fine service teaches the value of slowing down and savoring the experience. Once you’ve felt what true luxury feels like, you start prioritizing better environments to place yourself in.

• If you go to places like museums, symphonies, operas, fine dining, luxury hotel lounges, spas, etc., there is a good chance that you will find others who are like-minded as you in terms of living an elevated life (and the places they visit too). These can be great places to meet new people who can also provide inspiration for you in the way that they too live their everyday life in a finer way.

• You will start to curate your home, workspace, closet, and even your car with more elegance and intentionality. You’ll observe how these spaces and the people within them are intentional often blending discernment, luxury, and good taste into their everyday lives and environments.

How The Places We Visit Creates A Luxury Lifestyle

• Observing fine craftsmanship sharpens your eye for detail, taste, and aesthetics. You will learn how top-tier designers operate with precision, quality, and refinement. You will also learn to discern quality of food, fabrics, scents, and experiences.

• Visiting higher-end clothing stores will inspire dressing with refinement which will come more naturally enhancing personal presence and commanding respect and attention. Wearing quality items signals to yourself that you’re worth investing in.

• The higher-end stores will help to educate in design language where you will learn why certain materials, proportions, and details are timeless.

• Many luxury brands carry deep histories of craftsmanship inviting you to appreciate legacy and connects you to heritage in a way that expands your appreciation in artistry.

• These environments can inspire inner order where external refinement mirrors internal clarity, balance and composure. It also inspires discipline in maintaining luxury pieces that we invest in and teaches consistency and care.

• Elegant environments strengthens our attention to detail as luxury trains your eye to define taste, timelessness, and finishings.

• Visiting elegant places can inspire us to transform everyday moments into sophistication. A fine scent, an elegant watch, or tailored coat turns daily routines into rituals of luxury.

Elevated Places To Visit

During the process of elevating the places I visit I have found that there are some places that are simply more elegant than others. Keep in mind that especially for stores, that doesn’t mean that I will purchase something every time I visit. Sometimes I will just walk around and be inspired by the elegance. Below is a list of the places that I find personally to be an energetic match to my essence words of elegant, sophisticated and luxurious. Make a list for yourself to find the places that match your essence words and start visiting them on a regular basis.

-Art Museums/History Museums

-Symphonies/Operas/Ballets

-Gardens/Arboretums

-Historical Estates

-Fine Dining Restaurants

-Luxury Hotels (including restaurants, lounges and spas)

-Spas (separate from luxury hotels)

-Banana Republic/J. Crew/Ralph Lauren Stores

-Restoration Hardware/Ethan Allen/Arhouse/Pottery Barn

-Paris/London/New York

-Nordstrom/Saks 5th Ave/Bergdorf Goodman

-Airport Lounges

-Afternoon Teas

-Luxury Specialty Shops (chocolate, flowers, home goods, stationary, etc.)