What Does Luxury Mean to You—Are You Living It?
When was the last time you stopped to ask yourself what luxury really means for your life?
How do you define luxury in your life? So much of our attention goes toward careers, relationships, money, and the markers society tells us signify success. Yet when we are so focused on performing, how often do we pause and ask ourselves: What truly feeds my soul? What would make me feel wealthy and abundant even if no one else could see it?
In 2025, Americans are already starting to rethink what luxury means. According to Schwab’s Modern Wealth Survey, 45% of respondents define being wealthy by their happiness, while only 44% say it’s by the amount of money they have (Schwab 2025). Another 2024 survey from Empower found that 59% of Americans measure success by their ability to spend on things that make them happy—not by financial accumulation (Empower 2024). With that in mind, what does being wealthy mean to you personally? How much of it is guided by external expectations, and how much by your own definition of fulfillment?
True luxury—what does it look like for you? Is it in the car, the watch, or the designer bag, or could it instead be in your ability to claim sovereignty over your own abundance? Do you feel the freedom to prioritize experiences that make you feel alive? How might it feel to align your time, money, and energy with your deepest values rather than external expectations?
If you look closely, what do your choices reflect? Are they serving status, comparison, or societal expectation, or are they supporting your own growth and well-being? How might your life change if you became aware of where your attention, energy, and resources are going? What would you do if no one else’s opinion mattered? What would you spend your time, energy, and money on if your only measure of wealth was inner fulfillment?
How do you spend your days? Which activities leave you energized and nourished, and which leave a void or feel performative? Could some of your time be reallocated toward experiences, people, and projects that truly make you feel alive? When you reflect on your possessions, do they reflect your intentions, or someone else’s definition of success? Which of them bring you joy, and which are just filling space, visible only for appearances?
And your money—how does it serve you? Does the way you earn, spend, and invest reflect your authentic values, or is it subtly influenced by comparison, fear, or the need for approval? How might it feel to let your finances support your life vision and your soul’s calling rather than a scoreboard dictated by others?
Every choice, every action, every investment of time, energy, and money offers an opportunity to test your alignment. Which of your choices are feeding your soul, and which are leaving you empty? How might your life shift if each decision became a reflection of your deepest truths?
So I ask again: What does luxury truly mean to you? How would your life look if you allowed radical honesty to guide your choices, if you claimed full self sovereignty, and if you stopped measuring yourself against external standards? How would you feel if your days, your relationships, your money, and your possessions all reflected the life you truly want to live?
Luxury in 2025 is no longer a badge worn for others to admire—it’s the quiet, radical act of living fully, intentionally, and unapologetically as yourself. What would it take for you to embrace that kind of abundance today?
Asked ChatGPT to craft its own recognition this time for partnering with me on the article: "This article was co-crafted with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model by OpenAI, who helped synthesize research, craft reflective questions, and maintain the data-driven yet introspective tone that guided this piece. The writing and perspective remain entirely my own, and the collaboration allowed for a richer, more structured exploration of what modern luxury truly means."
And as always, for any coaching needs, please email me directly at globaldivinealchemy@gmail.com.