Where does the time go?

Slowing Down, Getting Creative, and Reconnecting with What Matters Most

It’s been a while since we’ve written a blog or even a newsletter, for that matter. The past few weeks have simply slipped away, we've been so swept up in the rhythm of life. Funny enough, in an earlier blog, we talked about how time moves faster when you’re truly present and focused on the task at hand. I suppose that’s exactly what’s happened to us. We’ve been immersed in our own projects (read more below), experiences (think: concert together in Barcelona), and transitions (think: house move for Carlo), which means Luxury Living quietly took a back seat for a moment.

But now, here we are again and somehow, it’s already July. The summer solstice has passed, and we’re officially in the second half of 2025. That realization made me pause and reflect. How do we feel about that?

For me, I’m feeling okay. I have a few things to look forward to at the end of the year, and I feel like I’m finding my feet again and getting back into my happy flow. Part of that has stemmed, I believe, from stepping outside my comfort zone: meeting new people, trying new things, as a way to feel more settled in my town.

This process of settling in and reflecting on my journey also tied in nicely with a cultural training session I participated in recently at work. The organiser drew on Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, and whilst I had learnt about Hofstede's dimensions during university, she rephrased them in such as way that it gave me fresh insight into my own experiences. Especially the 'masculine v. feminine' dimension, which was nicely rephrased to 'motivation towards achievement and success'. What struck me was how Australia, where I grew up, tends to value achievement and competition — to be the best, pushing to win, and striving for visible recognition. The Netherlands, where I now live and work, emphasizes something quite different: quality of life. Success here looks more like balance — caring for others, making time for yourself, and to do your best.

The culture differences between Australia and The Netherlands, The Culture Factor Group

This has caught me off guard the whole 6 years (!!) I've been here. But as I wrote in a previous blog, your environment can influence you in more ways than you think and having worked the whole time in tech and engineering, I’ve always been in environments that feel highly individualistic and performance-driven. But now I notice the difference. In the Netherlands, if you’ve worked your 40 hours, that’s it—laptop shut, go live your life. It’s not lazy. It’s healthy. And when I reflect on my own work frustrations over the years, I realise how often they were tied to not being recognised the way I expected or not being recognised at all (here's me thinking: am I really that bad an employee?).

Slowly, but surely, it seems as though I am adopting that Dutch mentality. One of the things I’ve picked up again is playing saxophone and to help with that, I joined a local orchestra. With the orchestra, everyone begins playing part two (Alt Sax 2) so they can observe how you play and what your level of 'expertise is. Two months on and there was no sign of being promoted. At first, that was a bit of a mental shift. Back in school, I always played part one (Alt Sax 1). I know I’m capable of it. But this time around, I reminded myself using my newfound Dutch mentality: why am I here? I didn’t sign up to be accoladed or to compete. I joined to reconnect with music, to work on my breathing, to meet people, and just enjoy playing again. And surprisingly, it’s been more fun this way. The pressure is off. I show up almost every week because I genuinely want to. I don’t have to be perfect. And if I don’t practice? No one notices. It’s creative, social, and grounding. And that’s enough.

And it’s not just culture that shapes us. There’s plenty of research showing how creativity—and our belief in our own creativity—changes as we grow older. One well-known study, originally developed for NASA scientists by Dr. George Land and Beth Jarman, found that while about 98% of 5-year-olds scored as “creative thinkers,” only around 2% of adults did. This highlights how much creativity confidence tends to drop over time, as we shift our focus from being playful and imaginative to being outcome-driven. Or maybe not even that. We just lose our connection with our 'inner child'; as each year passes, we one more year further away from our childhood, more distance created that we forget what it even felt like to be a kid.

While we haven’t been as present here lately, behind the scenes Carlo and I have still been sharing little sparks of inspiration with each other—articles, podcasts, moments worth pausing for. One that really stuck with me was an article called I Tried 17 Hobbies in 1 Year. Around the same time, I listened to a podcast by Mel Robbins where she talked about how doing something with your hands—being creative, even in small ways—can quiet anxiety, calm the mind, and bring you back to yourself.

It reminded me (again) that creativity doesn’t need a purpose. It doesn’t need to become a business or a talent or a measurable skill. It can just be play. And in a world that rewards achievement and productivity, giving ourselves that space to play again might be one of the most important things we can do.

So as we settle into this second half of the year, Carlo and I have made a small commitment: try one new hobby each month for the next three months. Nothing too serious—just a way to stay curious, present, and a little more alive.

Here’s what I'm eyeing:

• 🎨 A painting class

• 💎 Jewellery making

• 🖋️ Hand-lettering (or maybe mosaics—still deciding!)

• 🧶 Knitting

  
  

[Carlo needs a little more time to think... so feel free to send him a message and ask him for an update. Nothing like a bit of peer pressure ;) ]

No expectations. No outcomes. Just presence. Because maybe, in the end, that’s the real luxury.

Have a lovely Sunday!

Steph

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Main Key Takeaways:

• Presence makes time fly: Time moves faster when you're truly engaged and focused on the moment.

• Joy comes without pressure: Letting go of the need to achieve or be perfect can make space for genuine enjoyment.

• Creativity supports well-being: Hands-on hobbies can reduce stress, ease anxiety, and keep you grounded.

To continue your journey and start making meaningful changes, here’s a book recommendation and exercise to help you take the first step:

Life Inspiration (Book recommendation): Big Magic, here

Life Hack (exercise): List of Hobbies, here