Inspiration Can Be Found Everywhere, Even In The 17 Pound 2014 Restoration Hardware (RH) Catalog That UPS Just Delivered To Your Doorsteps – Echoes My Belief That Life’s Best Is Ahead And To Go Seize It (Carpe Diem) Of all things that I write about, I never thought I would be posting about a retail catalog (a thought contrary to my own guidance of keeping an open mind); that said, first about the catalog and then the inspiration that I received from it. Recently I had heard on the news about the uproar from people on getting an unsolicited 17 pound retail catalog, of all the trees wasted in its production, and the potential of injury from just lifting it. Once it was evident that all of the paper is “forest certified” from sustainable sources, shipping is carbon neutral, and since it is a once a year “design gallery” mailing it is probably less paper sent than by some other major retailers, and is meant to be kept as an annual source book. Then one day the RH catalog mentioned above appeared at our doorsteps, the 3 inch thick catalog, consisting of 4 lifestyle and 9 category books, wrapped twice in heavy duty plastic shrink wrap reminded me of the old Sears Roebuck catalogs, although those were not so heavy or had such good quality paper. The catalogs sat on our counter tops for days, but given that our family was not in the market for any furniture or fixtures I was surprised that my wife had not put in the recycle bin for she is the first one to recycle all catalogs not needed. So today my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to open the catalog before I put it to recycle but first I had to validate for myself its weight. Using our bathroom scale it weighed 12 pounds, not the 17 pounds mentioned in the attached article, either our scale is off or the content of the attached article, I would like to think the article otherwise I am even heavier than I thought! :-) Struggling through tearing of the heavy shrink wrap, I thought to myself that this better be worth it, and it certainly was; not only the beautiful products pictured, which may coax us to buy even though we had no plans, but also the content of the introductory letter from Restoration Hardware’s (RH) Chairman & CEO, Gary Friedman. I so enjoyed his letter and found it so motivational that I will share an excerpt (actually most of it) verbatim from the letter. So if you do not have plans to use the catalog as an exercise weight, or to prop up broken furniture, or to use as kindling for the fireplace, go ahead open the catalog, treat yourself to the pictures of beautiful home furnishings, be inspired to replace that broken piece of furniture or add to your home, but most importantly so you can save a copy of Gary’s letter. “A MAN IS NOT OLD UNTIL REGRETS TAKE THE PLACE OF DREAMS” – John Barrymore Widely Acclaimed As The Greatest Shakespearean Actor Of His Generation, John Barrymore Married Four Times and Passed Away Performing Live On A Radio Show. He Refused To Give Up His Love Of Acting Or His Love Of Love. Chasing His Dreams, He Lived This Life Until His Last Breath Mr. Barrymore refused to accept conventional wisdom that would have us believe there is a time that we should acquiesce, put up the white flag, pull up the rocking chair and accept that our best days are behind us. A time when we should sit back and watch the news rather than make the news, read about history versus making it. The proverbial golden years, a time to reflect on what could have been, or should have been. I would argue that Mr. Barrymore was on to something. That a life defined by dreams versus regrets generates an energy that is ageless. Dreams propel us forward with a childlike enthusiasm, transforming our perspectives and framing a view of hope and optimism. We work to achieve our goals, but we chase after our dreams. Dreams often tap into our core beliefs, those things we would fight for and die for (while human bravado would have us take this line literally all the time, I think it is best taken initially metaphorically and only as a last resort literally). History has proven that man will work for a dollar, but die for what he believes in. … Maybe John Barrymore was more than a famous actor, and rather should be remembered as a great discoverer. Maybe the long-searched-for fountain of youth lies inside all of us. Maybe it’s not about living forever, but forever living every moment and chasing our dreams until our last breath, just as he did. Dream on. Carpe Diem, Gary Friedman Chairman & CEO, Restoration Hardware (RH) I will simply echo Gary’s words once again, DREAM ON, THE BEST IS AHEAD, CARPE DIEM! p.s. I guess another lesson is to periodically check catalogs before throwing them out, never know what may inspire you! :-) https://facebook/OneGODLifeFramework
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 20:02:59 +0000
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