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Live A Designed Life January 18, 2017 (0 comments)

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Miami, FL—Do people still use wall calendars? I always had one in my office. Then something happened, and one day I noticed that my husband Joe had changed it to some sort of digital device--and eventually to the smart phones we have today that do everything for us.

But I still remember loving the physical act of flipping through that calendar and getting to the final photograph for the month of December. It always provided a moment of reflection on all the transitions throughout the year. The simple gratitude of Thanksgiving, to those inexplicable urges to make the last weeks of the year really “count.”

Right now, it feels right, the year has finally come to its end and now it is time to reflect and consider the journey that has brought us here. Daylight has grown shorter and we all need to pause with a sense of gratitude and taking stock. I hope you feel like I do: that there is so much to be grateful for. 

I am grateful for living what I call a “Designed Life”. I do not mean that to be smug in any way. I feel the notion that people can and could shape their own destiny, is a revelation. Thankfully I had a father that made me switch from being a little girl taught to "cope with" life, to someone focused on controlling my choices. I make a difference in my life!


I have heard similar stories from all over our industry. In each casem success seemed to hinge on understanding what’s missing or what the next goal is, and then designing a plan to get there. The objective, I feel, relates to career fulfilment--but it can just as easily apply to your everyday life. Family issues, relationships and disappointed expectations. The essential principle in Design Thinking is that if you don’t like the direction something is taking you, then you need to stop waiting for someone or something to magically intervene. YOU need to make the decision to design a different outcome. Sketch out possible scenarios and invite input from people who matter to you. Be specific about things you can act on right away and begin walking towards a bigger goal.

My wish for you this post-holiday season is that you make time for reflection. Consider, with gratitude, all the good you have in your life. Now design a plan for the outcome you desire. Surround yourself with people who understand “your design.” Also, do not get frustrated (I need this reminder!). Learn to enjoy the process as it unfolds. Without process there is no design.

There is no deep secret to having and living a “Designed Life,” except perhaps to keep designing.  --Andie

Andie Weinman, president and CEO of Preferred Jewelers International / Continental Buying Group Inc., was born with the “Jewelry Gene” working in the jewelry industry since she was only ten years old. Her first job was as a cashier in the opening of a catalog showroom doing a fantastic job even at that tender age. Andie holds a B.A. in musical theatre and a B.S. in marine biology from The University of Tampa. When she realized that seawater and marine biology were not good on her hair and she wasn’t quite good enough to make it on Broadway, the jewelry business beckoned. Andie has picked diamonds, sorted color stones, shot waxes and performed a multitude of jobs in the manufacturing of jewelry.  Her negotiating experience and prowess has given her the reputation as being tough but fair in her dealings with vendors. In 2012 the Indian Diamond and Color Association awarded Andie the Prestigious Doyenne Award of the Year.

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