imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

last month i stated that there is nothing new under the sun.
true, but there is always someone taking inspiration from another and creating it as their own. that’s how we began almost five years ago. we took some inspiration from my old store (the philadelphia soap company), culled from my salon (the atlas hair co.) and a few great soap makers near and far. over time it morphed into something uniquely all it’s own. that is the goal.
unless all that inspires you is co-opting the ideas of others.
it’s a very fine line.

i’ll admit that being copied irks me
but on some weird level i also feel flattered.
lately i’ve seen a good deal of inspiration going out my door and into the projects of others. it shows up in everything from marketing emails to the soaps and candles that fill their shelves.
though i’ve known other entrepreneurs who become embittered by this creative plagiarism, that’s not who i strive to be.

there are precious few hours that james and i get to spend together. regardless of how the rest of our lives transpire, these are the golden hours of our day. to sit and talk over dinner, watch TV and snuggle with the dogs, spending time laughing with friends, escaping to the cape for long weekends and vacations, family birthdays, graduations, holidays, weddings, births and even funerals, this is where the magic happens. as passionate as i feel about my work, i cannot imagine missing this part of my life. when we talk about the growth of duross & langel, we talk about how we can manage this and all the other life dreams we have together.

some entrepreneurs feed on the thrill of opening a new business.
i’ve been there myself. it’s an almost giddy process that emboldens and empowers one with an enormous sense of purpose. everything revolves around the future date you are set to open. yes, it’s all terribly exciting but eventually it opens and then what?
what does one feel when there is nowhere to live but in the moment? and how does one live with who they become?

i have never aspired to be the nicest most likable guy on the block, but i do have an abiding sense of how i show up in the world. if you subscribe to this blog, you might notice that half the entry has been re-written. that’s because there is no value in hanging on to negative feelings. though i can always choose to fill my life with more (more work, more responsibility, more neediness, more controlling, more attention..), i think it best to enjoy the moment and taste every morsel. i can say with gratitude that it’s enough.
in the end, the trick isn’t getting what you want.
it’s still wanting it once you have it.