Did you see the Oprah special at the Double RL Ranch with Ralph and Ricky Lauren? http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/American-Icon-Ralph-Lauren-and-His-Fascinating-Family_2/5
I am so impressed!
Well, heck, who wouldn’t be? First of all, the Laurens seem like lovely people—and happily married for 46 years to boot.
They look great—they dress fabulously, they have fabulous talented children, and they have tons of fabulous stuff.
Talent, ambition, and hard work rewarded with success—the American dream in action. Forbes estimates Ralph Lauren’s net worth at $5.8 billion dollars. http://www.forbes.com/profile/ralph-lauren Not bad for a kid from the Bronx, ey?
Their ranch in the Rockies—holy smokes! Panoramic vistas of the Rockies, rustic million-dollar charm, beautiful people on horseback, all dressed in RL, natch. Oprah sitting down to dinner with the fam—that Oprah, she gets to go everywhere and meet everyone.
Now I really want to see the wedding dress RL designed for his daughter Dylan—RL teared up when he was talking about it, it was touching. Come on, Oprah, couldn’t you have sneaked a peek or something? But maybe it’s at one of the family’s other 4 houses—NYC, Bedford, Montauk or Jamaica (the island, not Jamaica, Queens). I wonder if Oprah’s invited to the wedding? Maybe she can do a special on that, the American version of a Royal Wedding.
So I’m beyond jealous! OK, it’s so far beyond me that it’s ridiculous to be jealous. I can just go out and buy (some) Ralph Lauren stuff to partake in a smidge of the Lauren Life.
Hey, wait a second…!
This is total immersion marketing—living the life and selling the life and inviting you to buy a piece of the life.
But marketing aside, there is something in this for us all to think about—how the Laurens built the life they imagined. I really admire that. They built a company based on quality products and their vision of the American dream, and of course they worked really hard and kept strong to that vision.
I don’t remember which one of them said this, but I like it a lot. “You should only do the things that make you happy.” That’s simple and elegant, and often really hard to do in life.
So here are my Lessons Gleaned from the Laurens:
1. Do the things that make you happy
2. Family is important—take care of each other, be proud of each other, encourage each other
3. Have a plan—create your vision, figure out what you need to make it real
4. Work hard and work smart to make that plan unfold
5. Enjoy the fruits of your labor
And now…there were some pillows at the Double RL Ranch that were speaking to me. $146.00 on sale? For ONE pillow? Krikey!
You know, I’m going to see if I can get them in Home Goods for less. ♣
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For more on the Laurens (he has an AMAZING collection of cars, btw):
http://www.architecturaldigest.com/homes/homes/2007/11/lauren_article?currentPage=1
Ralph’s Wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Lauren
Wow! I had no clue the Laurens were worth that much money! Geez Luhweez! I loved your blog. I just finished reading a blog by Sonia Medeiros and I’ll tell you the same thing: I see now what Kristen Lamb means when she says to blog to your readers and not to the writers. I loved reading this blog you wrote and so will all kinds of other people who are NOT writers. And that’s what Kristen says we should do. So, good for you for pulling it off!
Patti
Thank you, Patti! I am trying–and still figuring out a lot of this stuff. I’m so glad you stopped by. THRILLED! It’s so exciting when people read your stuff. I am going to spend some time this weekend and check out the blogs from class. See you there, Patti!