How to Live the Designer Life
What makes a designer purse a designer purse? Is it just the name? At one time I did customer service evaluations for designer companies similar to Gucci. These evaluations required that I act as a customer and allow a sales representative to tell me about the items on display. I even got to handle the items and try them on. The challenge here was to not show the shock I felt when I was told the price. "Oh, yes, that is a good sale..." Yes, that's what they didn't tell us in kindergarden. The shoe in which the little old lady lived in was designer. You see, she spent the year's mortgage on it, then had to live in it. I think I could live in a Dior Lady bag.
The sales representative would go into detail about the quality of the materials, the design for beauty and functionality, the history of the company and the item, etc. One of the things they'd stress is the uniqueness and limited quantity of an item, as well as the care that goes into its assembly. When my time there had finished, I found that more than a pretty purse, I just held in my hands a work of art that had a smell, feel, and look that was the epitome of quality craftsmanship.
Quality is something that never goes out of style. When something is done exceptionally well, it usually keeps its value (and maybe gains some) as time passes, like a fine painting. When things are not done well, time will tell it. Just think of your kitchen cabinets.
"Yeah, they don't make things like they used to."
-Grampa
As time passes, what will it reveal about the work that we've done? The things we have said? The way that we've lived? Will our lives be that of a masterpiece, that has lasting value, or will it be a throw-it-together sort of job? What makes the difference, anyway?
When making something, a craftsman considers these things:
The Plan
Before setting to work (cutting the wood, mixing the colors, or sculpting the clay), a craftsman drafts a plan for what he will create.
Think about your life. Can you envision what the end result will look like? If someone were to pick up your biography, what would they gather from the cover? From thumbing through the pages, reading a bit here and there and looking at the pictures? Every life speaks. What would yours say? What do you want it to say?
When thinking about this very thing, the thought has come to mind of how devastated I would be if I got to the end of my life and realized I spent it all on myself. Wouldn't that be such a waste? I knew then that the times I would regret the most (ugh, regret is such an ugly word) would be the ones in which I acted selfishly.
You and I can decide on what we'd like the overall picture of our lives to be. Before we set to make, or to reconstruct, them we can draft a plan. I believe that the more literally we do this, the more powerful the results will be. Maybe taking some time with a good ole fashioned pencil and paper and drafting together a life plan and what we hope our life's message to be would be just the thing.
The Materials
You wouldn't use straw and hay to make your roof if shingles were available to you, would you? In building a house, you'd want to use materials that lasted and didn't need repair often. After all, you've got better things to do than to fix a leaky roof. What are the quality materials that a life can be made of? How about inspiration, character, love, faith, fellowship, forgiveness, service, hard work, creativity, knowledge, and wisdom?
The Assembly
Assembly takes time, care, thought, skill, measuring twice and cutting once. The assembling, or building of a life, takes a lifetime, and it's not just about one big leap, but every little step. Taking every step in light of your life's plan and using only the best materials produces a biography you yourself might be interested in reading.
"If something's worth doing, it's worth doing right."
-Gramma
Be encouraged and live inspired,
Abigail
