The Pursuit of Happiness?

I began thinking after I posted yesterday about this emotional connection in marketing. Is it a good thing? I think in some instances it is, but as I began thinking of more examples, I realized how silly it has become. I think that companies like Starbucks are doing it right & I know that I try to be properly motivated in my business but then I started thinking about the razor commercial where the man shaves and then there is a beautiful woman stroking his face. Or the ever-popular beer commercials. And then, ironically, this morning I picked up the new book I am reading - "Me to We" by Craig Keiburger & Marc Kielburger, founders of Free the Children (www.freethechildren.com) - and the chapter was about this very thing! One of the stories I found quite disturbing was that of the opening of the Mall of America, which now has more visitors annually than Graceland, the Grand Canyon & Disney World combined! They also mentioned (and I've heard this before) that by the year 2000, the US had twice as many shopping malls as high schools.

We are so messed up in so many ways. I think that this is timely, seeing as how we have come out of the biggest surge of consumerism of the year - Christmas. And oh, how it continues with the Boxing Day sales. And are we any happier for it? Nope. At least, not if we see money & acqusition as the ultimate pursuit. I do quite a bit of charity work through Discovery Toys and most of it, I still get some benefit from (I donate my commission but the orders I put in still count towards my sales). That's one of the reasons I decided to take up another project that would not benefit me financially in any way but that I could do just because I wanted to. Any of you who get an email from me have seen the tag on the bottom about buidling a school in Kenya. This is a project I am hoping to complete this year. I will be much more diligent in contributing to it myself as well as enlisting the help of others. I am endeavoring to raise $6000 for this. (If you would like to help in any way, let me know). When I first took on this project, it was back to school time for us and I realized what a luxury that is - that we have to go out and buy school supplies is a gift! The kids have helped me with this project as well & I intend to get them more involved as well. We set up a lemonade stand over the summer and every time Eliora poured a glass, she told the people that the money was going towards building this school. Well, do you think anyone asked for their change?! She was very moved by it & wants to be involved.

I truly have realized that it is in giving that we find the most joy. And it is the giving that nobody knows about that is the most exciting. There have been opportunities that have come my way to help someone & I have known that unless I tell people about the good thing I did, no one will know. (So I rarely tell) And these are the moments that lift my spirit & make me realize how much we all have to give & how rich we truly are. It doesn't take much to be able to help. We raised $15 at that lemonade stand that afternoon, but to Eliora, it might as well have been a thousand.