Embracing Everyday Elegance and the Art of Intentional Living
Shannon Ables shares her journey from teacher to author, exploring how curiosity, travel, and self-awareness inspire her philosophy of living a simply luxurious, contented life.
Shannon Ables, the creative force behind The Simply Luxurious Life, has long championed the art of living well. A retired English teacher turned author, blogger, and podcaster, Shannon has cultivated a global community dedicated to embracing a life of contentment and everyday elegance. Her journey began in 2009 with the launch of her blog, a platform that has since blossomed into a modern philosophy of intentional living, inspiring readers to prioritise quality over quantity in all aspects of life. With a deep affinity for French and British cultures, Shannon’s work is a celebration of life’s simple pleasures, from savouring a cup of tea to finding joy in the rhythm of the seasons.
In this exclusive interview for Reader’s House Magazine, Shannon shares the inspiration behind her blog, the evolution of her philosophy, and the challenges and triumphs of her writing journey. She offers insights into balancing personal and professional life, the key qualities of a truly contented existence, and the profound influence of her travels. For aspiring authors, Shannon’s advice is both practical and heartfelt, rooted in her belief in the power of authenticity and connection. Join us as we delve into the world of Shannon Ables, a woman who has mastered the art of living a simply luxurious life.
What inspired you to create The Simply Luxurious Life blog, and how did it evolve into a modern philosophy approach? Curiosity and discontent. Curiosity to live a life that brought more contentment and enjoyment, something I wasn’t experiencing along a life path others assured would make me happy. I honored my curiosity eight years into my teaching career (high school English) and began to blog as a hobby in 2009. I found blogging to be energizing, something I never found in teaching. I was eagerly sitting down to type twice a day, every day, working until one AM in the morning most nights, and I loved it.
Wanting to understand the how of what actually makes a person feel content and at peace within themselves as so many varying approaches are modeled in our world, often described as a ‘happy life’, I knew it had less to do with the surface actions and traditions of any particular culture that brought me joy such as gardening, cuisine, savoring meals and afternoon tea breaks (in my case my love for the French and British culture), and more to do with something much deeper — knowing our true selves and the ability to think critically if only we learned the skills to do so. And that is when I began to focus more pointedly on answering the how and the why (the benefits received) of living a life of contentment, a simply luxurious life.
How do you balance your personal life and work, particularly with writing books, hosting podcasts, and maintaining a blog? Having a regular weekly posting schedule on the blog that readers can depend on with thematic content appearing on certain days of each week or during certain seasons throughout the year provides a structure and steady work/life balance. This allows me to plan ahead, gather content and then set an editorial calendar, as well as my weekly writing schedule.
It wasn’t until 2021 when I finally retired from teaching after 20 years that I found regular time to step away from tasks related to TSLL, which ironically and wonderfully served to benefit the quality and offerings shared on the blog as I was able to explore freely more regularly – what has resulted is the creation of online video courses and time to connect with readers both on the blog through comments and sometimes in person for special gatherings in France and Britain.
In your opinion, what are the key qualities that define a truly simply luxurious life, and how can someone start incorporating them into their daily routine? The definition of a simply luxurious life is living a life of contentment. Contentment is a concept often mentioned synonymously with happiness, but the two are actually different, albeit related. Contentment is something we possess entirely within ourselves once we learn the skills and put them into practice in our everydays, whereas happiness is dependent upon external events paired with our awareness to savor without expectation or wanting more.
However, we can experience more happy moments once we cultivate contentment. The key qualities of contentment are Awareness (of self, the world, emotional intelligence), Mindfulness, Appreciation, Courage (to chase your dreams, to be kind and truly loving, and by setting healthy boundaries). When we apply these to our modus operandi, we begin to experience a more fulfilling, more peaceful and happier life, a life of true contentment.
How did your experience traveling and staying in France and Britain influence your approach to living a simply luxurious life? By following my curiosity even when there wasn’t a guide or an example to follow, I traveled to France and Britain as a young woman on my own. And in doing this, I came to know that trusting my inner compass is a wise thing to do. These two countries just so happen to be where I draw inspiration for living a life of contentment because their cultures speak to my predilections. However, it is through my realizing that we must trust our inner compass that will ensure contentment in each person’s life. A person doesn’t need to have any affection for either country because that is not where contentment is found, but instead it is found within us.
What challenges did you face when writing your books, and how did you overcome them? Having self-published all three of my books and currently my fourth, the decisions that a traditional publisher would make are what have provided the most challenges – placing the text in the template, ensuring the format is correct, etc. In these situations, I reach out to those experts in the field of template design, and give myself ample time on the publishing schedule so I don’t feel rushed to meet a release date that I have promised to readers.
How has your relationship with contentment evolved over the years, and what role does it play in your current life? Contentment is at the core of what living a life that both brings me peace of mind but also encourages me to keep growing and learning. The peace comes from knowing that however life unfolds, I have the tools to navigate through it well and without doing harm to myself or others. It is through these difficult times that we are often given gems of wisdom about how to step more fully into our full potential if we choose to seize the opportunity.
The encouragement is present as I am more conscious to the life truth that uncertainty is a part of life, and it is in knowing ourselves and trusting our curiosities that we find the way that is meant to be ours uniquely. This knowledge gives me the confidence to keep learning and stretching myself. It is through these experiences that what were once dreams have become treasured realities that I savor each day.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors who wish to create content that resonates deeply with their audience? Stay connected with your readers. Listen to them while also trusting your inner voice. So long as you are offering something that will benefit them in some way while also being sincere in what you share, then no matter how large your audience, you will have an audience who trusts you when you do share what you write.
