Well, this is how Brooklyn feels about the current financial crisis. I took this photo yesterday in my neighborhood. In New York there’s an undercurrent of satisfaction among the creative class. They feel they might get their city back.

Earlier today I wrote a long and emotional post about my election-related misery. You will never see this post for two reasons:

1. My friend, Jesse, reminded me that my hatred for the Republicans and Sarah Palin actually has nothing to do with either (hard to believe) and everything about what they’ve tapped into inside of me. He reminded me of the words of Shunryu Suzuki: “Things that look like they exist outside are actually existing inside ourselves. When you think, ‘He is not good,’ you are actually criticizing someone within yourself. It is a picture of you.” Much as I hate to admit it, I know he’s right. There is nothing inherently bad about any of these people or their actions. “You hate your inner Palin,” he wisely corrected with five words that instantly dissolved my 1,000-word rant.

2. As Jesse also points out, there’s no time for complaining. I don’t need to add to the steady stream of negativity out there already. I have spent the last 48-hours online looking for sympathy or something that might make me feel better about the direction things are headed. I have seen a lot of evidence that we’re all suffering. The references to sleepless nights and crying are freakishly high and very similar. So we’re all lying around tired and puffy-eyed, and without a real solution. For that reason, I will spare you my screed and hope that in doing so, our collective load will lighten.

So while I feel like yelling and pointing fingers and scratching out eyeballs…and yes, crying…I will turn that energy into something productive. Maybe I’ll investigate what it is about Palin that makes me so angry. Maybe if I get to the bottom of it, I will release some sort of pressure valve. Maybe she’ll stop looking so evil to me if I am honest about the fact that she reminds me a little of myself. Not in a librarian-firing, choice-hating, hypocritical, aggressive, pitbull-with-lipstick kind of way, but in that she is trying to get ahead in the world, trying to make a difference and committed to her own beliefs to a maybe-dangerous degree. Let’s face it: We’ve all been that person. I know I have.

The bottom line is that Sarah reminds me of the me I used to be before I started taking responsibility for my thoughts and actions. It kills me that she is having “success” in the world and being “lauded” as a change-maker, when I often feel my own efforts to change myself and the world around me have fallen on deaf ears (maybe even like this and all my posts). I hate my inner Palin because I have been fighting her desire for attention and approval, for years.

Sarah, I will stop hating you now. You’re living life the best you know how–just like all of us. You’ve reminded me of the approval-seeking, opinionated, scared girl I once was, and still have inside me. I guess I should thank you for that. Now that I see her, I can deal with her…maybe even forgive her.

Now will that make you go away?
Baby steps. Baby steps.

My mother is a great shopper.

Of course, she has many other qualities I appreciate, qualities that are more important in this life. But, over the years I have been a close observer and sometimes benefactress of this particular expertise and I can tell you with confidence: she’s got a gift.

So it was jarring when I received this email from her the other day:

SUBJECT: CHRISTMAS GIFTS
I’ve been thinking that perhaps we should exchange names among ourselves this year…I’m trying to pay attention to my consumption and cut down on unnecessary purchases, reuse bags and save the earth. (Dad says maybe I’m just cheap). I’d like to commit to buying nothing new for a year, except for food and hygiene, but I’m not there mentally yet! Santa would still have stockings for everyone…but there would only be one present for each of us. How do you feel about it???

What’s most striking to me about this email is that it is proof positive that the change in consumerism we have been talking about in marketing meetings and in the media is at hand. Possibly, it’s even bigger than we imagined. Continue Reading »

I’ve been invited to speak at this event in October. I’m really looking forward to having a sympathetic audience at a marketing conference for once. My topic will be the widening gulf between awakened consumers and the marketers who constantly underestimate them. I have done in-homes with chewing gum users that led to inspired conversations about karma; workshops with suburban women who are putting Eckhart Tolle’s principles to work in their PTA meetings; and a deep dive with 20somethings that led to conversations about self-actualization. These findings were both surprising and intimidating to my clients until they saw that they were an invitation to a more meaningful connection. For me, the potential for relating to consumers on a higher level is thrilling. I hope to tell some stories, give recommendations for tools that can help open the door to deep interactions, and inspire a few brand managers to elevate the conversation.

If you are in the area, or interested in the topic, come join! I’d love to say to hello to a like mind.

John Lennon was right about so many things. This morning it was instant karma.

On my way to work I stopped at the farmer’s market for a single tomato and two ears of corn for dinner. Short on time and low on space in my bike bag, I was determined to keep it at that despite the irresistible bounty of mid-summer. As I passed a pile of peaches, I wavered. They were a deep orange red, plump, and I could tell they were soft before I even touched one. I quickly chose two for dessert.

As I was walking away from the stand, an old man stopped me. He appeared to be homeless. The calm in his manner made me hesitate. As I looked into his sad brown eyes I saw they were cloudy with cataracts. He asked in a soft voice, “Could you help me out please and buy me a peach? I’m a little hungry.” Continue Reading »