Monday, February 18, 2008
Getting Back to Gratitude
How could I forget! I dedicated a whole section in my book to it! Well, instead of beating myself up for not remembering to be grateful, I'm going to be grateful that I was gently reminded to do so again. I read a really great book this weekend called "Happy For No Reason" by Marci Shimoff. It is remarkable and I highly recommend you read it. She did extensive research on happy people and one of the things that happy people do is express gratitude regularly. It dawned on me in reading the book that I was not being a very grateful soul, which explains why I've felt muddled and hostile of late. I feel like letting go of gratitude is the main reason why I'm not seeing what I want in my life. Marci reminded me that nobody has a perfect life with perfect circumstances, but we all have the ability to get back to gratitude and find the lesson even in the not-so-pleasant things in our lives. I'm going to start my day out by writing down 5 things I am grateful for and I'll report back as to how that's affected my overall happiness.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Millennials: "The Big-Dreaming Generation!"
I often ask myself, "Where did I get my big-dreaming attitude?" Is it all the training I've had in self-development or is it part of my generational package? Though it's probably a combination of the two, many cultural factors have made Millennials big dreamers. Here are a few:
1. We got awards just for participating!
No matter what the event, from soccer games to speech contests to swim meets, our competitive, multi-tasking generation was always given the Golden Star just for showing up! My favorite award of all: Honorable Mention! I remember getting the Honorable Mention award for "not quite making the conference soccer team" when I was a senior in high school. Though I accepted the award gracefully, the over-acknowledgement was quite transparent even at the time!
2. We were coddled and pampered and spoiled by our parents!
This one is hard for me to admit because my parents weren't overtly schmitten by my sister and I, but I have to say, life was pretty good for us. My mom tried to be "hard" on us, passing on the lessons she learned from her Depression Era parents, and though she was s strict disciplinarian, we usually got our way. One memory that really stands out for me is getting presents on my sister's birthday! I now find that completely hilarious! My mom told me just the other day that it was a tradition started by my grandmothers that she wasn't particularly crazy about. She played along though and up until I was 18, I got presents for mine and my sister's birthdays!
3. We rarely heard the word "No!"
My mom and I have talked about this one several times. I can't figure out if I didn't hear "no" because I knew when and when not to ask or if my parents really weren't nay-sayers. I got guilt- tripped every once in awhile for 'wanting, needing and having to have' all the time, but I rarely heard the word "no." When I wanted some new clothes or a new gadget, the answer was yes. When I needed to be taxied to one of a million extracurricular activities the answer was yes! When I wanted to go on the high school trip to Greece, the answer was yes. When I wanted to study abroad for a year in college, the answer was yes. My parents always found a way to make things happen for me. Who knows the struggles they faced in the process, but that "yes" attitude certainly helped create my "I can do it" mentality!
4. We grew up in a very child-centered era
No other generation had ever had so much attention! We grew up with children's movies, children's music, children's magazines, children's snacks, children's medicine, children's furniture, children's televisions. You name it! The children's market ballooned when I was a kid. We became the center of attention not only in our own homes and schools but also in the media. Stories about children like Jon Bennet Ramsey and Elian Gonzalez overpowered the news and the hearts of Americans for weeks upon weeks.
5. We love the challenge of thinking, dreaming and acting big! Because we are so tech-savvy, fast-paced and impatient, the worst thing we can be is bored! In fact, if we aren't challenged, we check out! Bye-bye! Thinking, dreaming and acting big creates the high level of challenge that keeps us going. Don't get me wrong, sometimes we get in over our heads and have to take a step back, but that's part of our generational karma and the lesson we have to learn in our pursuit to take on the world with our lively ideals.
Get ready because we aren't going anywhere! By 2010 the Millennials will outnumber the Boomers as the largest American population. Not only will our big-dreaming impact our lives as Gen Y, but yours as well. Dream on!!
1. We got awards just for participating!
No matter what the event, from soccer games to speech contests to swim meets, our competitive, multi-tasking generation was always given the Golden Star just for showing up! My favorite award of all: Honorable Mention! I remember getting the Honorable Mention award for "not quite making the conference soccer team" when I was a senior in high school. Though I accepted the award gracefully, the over-acknowledgement was quite transparent even at the time!
2. We were coddled and pampered and spoiled by our parents!
This one is hard for me to admit because my parents weren't overtly schmitten by my sister and I, but I have to say, life was pretty good for us. My mom tried to be "hard" on us, passing on the lessons she learned from her Depression Era parents, and though she was s strict disciplinarian, we usually got our way. One memory that really stands out for me is getting presents on my sister's birthday! I now find that completely hilarious! My mom told me just the other day that it was a tradition started by my grandmothers that she wasn't particularly crazy about. She played along though and up until I was 18, I got presents for mine and my sister's birthdays!
3. We rarely heard the word "No!"
My mom and I have talked about this one several times. I can't figure out if I didn't hear "no" because I knew when and when not to ask or if my parents really weren't nay-sayers. I got guilt- tripped every once in awhile for 'wanting, needing and having to have' all the time, but I rarely heard the word "no." When I wanted some new clothes or a new gadget, the answer was yes. When I needed to be taxied to one of a million extracurricular activities the answer was yes! When I wanted to go on the high school trip to Greece, the answer was yes. When I wanted to study abroad for a year in college, the answer was yes. My parents always found a way to make things happen for me. Who knows the struggles they faced in the process, but that "yes" attitude certainly helped create my "I can do it" mentality!
4. We grew up in a very child-centered era
No other generation had ever had so much attention! We grew up with children's movies, children's music, children's magazines, children's snacks, children's medicine, children's furniture, children's televisions. You name it! The children's market ballooned when I was a kid. We became the center of attention not only in our own homes and schools but also in the media. Stories about children like Jon Bennet Ramsey and Elian Gonzalez overpowered the news and the hearts of Americans for weeks upon weeks.
5. We love the challenge of thinking, dreaming and acting big! Because we are so tech-savvy, fast-paced and impatient, the worst thing we can be is bored! In fact, if we aren't challenged, we check out! Bye-bye! Thinking, dreaming and acting big creates the high level of challenge that keeps us going. Don't get me wrong, sometimes we get in over our heads and have to take a step back, but that's part of our generational karma and the lesson we have to learn in our pursuit to take on the world with our lively ideals.
Get ready because we aren't going anywhere! By 2010 the Millennials will outnumber the Boomers as the largest American population. Not only will our big-dreaming impact our lives as Gen Y, but yours as well. Dream on!!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Mail, the Wrong Way to Market to Millennials
Are you and/or your company sending out mass mailings to Millennials (people between 18 and 30) hoping for our business? If so, stop the printing and the stamp licking because you're wasting your time (and ours!). Ouch!
As I sorted through a pile of mail today I remembered a brief conversation I had with my mother-in-law last week. She told me she found out about a financial service from a mailer she received which prompted me to ask her, "Do you actually open all the mail you get?" She replied as if completely shocked by my question, "I open everything that gets put in my mailbox." Hummmm...I thought. Very interesting and very opposite of me and my generation. Of the numerous pieces of mail I receive each day, I open maybe 2 pieces (but mostly just so they'll fit in my shredder!). This got me thinking about the millennial generation and why we don't like mail. I have come up with several reasons:
1. It's not personal enough. Unless it's a note from a friend (doubtful because they prefer texting or myspace messages) or a card from grandma containing potential cash, we're not interested or intrigued (or tricked) by all of those mailers that claim to be personal. I especially love the ones that say things like "Mrs. Cates we have a special offer just for you!" in press-printed cursive writing.
2. It makes my recycling bin overflow! And that's not really the big deal, the big deal is the amount of mail people are NOT recycling that is making our landfills overflow.
3. My cheap shredder won't cut it! I bought the cheapest shredder Office Depot had and have already killed it with all of my mail shredding. I didn't have the patience to stick one pice of paper in at a time, so I often jammed it up pretty good. Looks like I'm going to have to save up for a super-dooper, high dollar shredder.
3. It's time consuming!In the time it takes to sort through and shred my mail I could have sent two text messages, ordered a latte at Starbucks or reorganized my desk drawer. And mail sorting is not conducive to multi-tasking either because it takes both hands. I'm going to have to work on that one!
4. We have enough credit cardsNinety nine percent of the mail I get is for another credit card and believe me, Millennials have enough of those already! Did you know that we have on average six credit cards? We don't need to get into this now because I can see the hair standing up on the back of your neck. Our generation gets bashed enough, so I'll move on.
5. Where's the free stuff? I'm not talking about coupons for 20% off or a special 2-for-1 deal, I'm talking about something FREE!! I recently got a mailer from a local grocery store offering a free book for stopping in! Now that's what I'm talking about! Those mailers do not get shredded! We millennials LOVE free stuff. But only cool free stuff (doesn't everyone?)
So here's the message plain and simple: if you're targeting Boomers and Xers alike, mailers will probably work. If you want to reach my generation, opt for free stuff via mail or a website and Google optimization!!
As I sorted through a pile of mail today I remembered a brief conversation I had with my mother-in-law last week. She told me she found out about a financial service from a mailer she received which prompted me to ask her, "Do you actually open all the mail you get?" She replied as if completely shocked by my question, "I open everything that gets put in my mailbox." Hummmm...I thought. Very interesting and very opposite of me and my generation. Of the numerous pieces of mail I receive each day, I open maybe 2 pieces (but mostly just so they'll fit in my shredder!). This got me thinking about the millennial generation and why we don't like mail. I have come up with several reasons:
1. It's not personal enough. Unless it's a note from a friend (doubtful because they prefer texting or myspace messages) or a card from grandma containing potential cash, we're not interested or intrigued (or tricked) by all of those mailers that claim to be personal. I especially love the ones that say things like "Mrs. Cates we have a special offer just for you!" in press-printed cursive writing.
2. It makes my recycling bin overflow! And that's not really the big deal, the big deal is the amount of mail people are NOT recycling that is making our landfills overflow.
3. My cheap shredder won't cut it! I bought the cheapest shredder Office Depot had and have already killed it with all of my mail shredding. I didn't have the patience to stick one pice of paper in at a time, so I often jammed it up pretty good. Looks like I'm going to have to save up for a super-dooper, high dollar shredder.
3. It's time consuming!In the time it takes to sort through and shred my mail I could have sent two text messages, ordered a latte at Starbucks or reorganized my desk drawer. And mail sorting is not conducive to multi-tasking either because it takes both hands. I'm going to have to work on that one!
4. We have enough credit cardsNinety nine percent of the mail I get is for another credit card and believe me, Millennials have enough of those already! Did you know that we have on average six credit cards? We don't need to get into this now because I can see the hair standing up on the back of your neck. Our generation gets bashed enough, so I'll move on.
5. Where's the free stuff? I'm not talking about coupons for 20% off or a special 2-for-1 deal, I'm talking about something FREE!! I recently got a mailer from a local grocery store offering a free book for stopping in! Now that's what I'm talking about! Those mailers do not get shredded! We millennials LOVE free stuff. But only cool free stuff (doesn't everyone?)
So here's the message plain and simple: if you're targeting Boomers and Xers alike, mailers will probably work. If you want to reach my generation, opt for free stuff via mail or a website and Google optimization!!
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