Quality

Quality is the New Luxury

This was an ad that I saw in a magazine recently.  My first reaction was:  how sad!  So, essentially they are saying that you have to have the money to get the quality.  It used to be that quality was the standard, what was to be expected.

Have you ever been surprised out how good a quality you were getting?  Once I bought a piece of furniture, and I shopped for months to get something that would hold up to four children.  I got good quality, and the table and chairs are still in one piece, though a little worse for the wear.  But I'm talking about something unexpected.  Like, buying a TV that has lasted us eight years, still has crisp picture, and was purchased at Wal-mart when they first started to carry flat-screens.

What it Really Means...

Now, we are bound to get some 'duds', items that cause more trouble than they are worth.  Doesn't it feel great when you realize you are getting a lot of value for your money?  Kind of like a vending machine that gives you two artery-clogging danishes instead of just the one you paid for!

Doesn't it stress you out when you realize you are going to have to demand quality?  Most of us avoid the confrontation and just disappear, vowing never to use that company again.  Well, maybe the ad is right:  maybe today we should treat quality like a luxury.  Then, why not be luxurious?!  We should demand a high standard of ourselves first.

How to Begin: On Purpose

In the movie "Hitch", Hitch's first piece of advice for the men he helps is to "begin each day as if it were on purpose."  If you do that, you are setting up for a quality day.  Now imagine what would change if we gave quality time to our loved ones?  Giving quality is the first step to demanding quality.  This might seem counter-intuitive because we've all seen a 'diva', or a self-centered person who is definitely demanding.  But they can't demand quality and never give it without it becoming really obvious they are phonies.  It's not about how much money we have, it's about the quality of our lives.  We should demand quality of ourselves and those around us.