Those three words are scary. For some reason this has been on my mind a lot lately. I hop on my bike and go for a ride. Earbuds in. iPod too loud. Can’t stop thinking about this. So why not make it my first blog at our new (better!) website.
There is something beautifully inherent about wanting more and things to be better...it keeps us moving, if not motivated. But where does it start?
When I was growing up, my mom and dad tussled about our family car. My mom always dreamed of a Cadillac, and dream is all she did. I don’t know if she thought she deserved better or wanted to show off or just wanted to be comfortable. I think my mom deserved better (but I’m not referring to cars). I remember begging my dad to buy us a Cadillac, “and it would make mom happy.” He never did. I’m wondering if her constant desire to find something truly fulfilling (but always settling for something temporary) seeped into me. How could I avoid it? Family. School. Media. If it wasn’t my family, it had to be kids at school who had cooler clothes than me...yea, it had to be them. Wait, let me blame my “deserving better” on the media. There, that was easy. Plus Mom and my friends are off the hook.
Hey, I love advertising. Advertising is a part of our world, and my world specifically. I create ads. I love creative ads. And without advertising, there would be no media as we know it. I’d like to think Listen In has taken a different approach. We only work with advertisers who offer goods or services that are meaningful to life. The other criteria is what they give back. I know that is so subjective, but if we don’t have some standards, we’ll have none. Advertising totally tells us we deserve better...and more...and less (calories). How we all let that to sink in is probably how we live. And malls aren’t getting any smaller (advertising works!).
I guess I’m looking for relative better. Is the world around me getting better? Am I? How about my family? It is a constant struggle to see what other people drive (all “Cadillacs” it seems) or how many movies they have on their iPod or lawn services... I want to simplify, and I look up to those who make wise choices (daily) because they are thinking big when they say, “I have a family to feed.” Except for former NBA dude Latrell Sprewell who said those exact words after he declined a three-year $21 million dollar offer.
If you look around, it’s easy to think “I deserve better,” and to start thinking about stuff you don’t have...but I believe if you Listen In (easy tie-in) you will know what is truly fulfilling for yourself and others. Check out some of the interviews or LiPodcasts here at listenin.org, for some reason, these artists have the gift to see outside of themselves easier than most of us. I wonder if there’s a $250 pair of sunglasses that will help us do that?! If there is, we would advertise them because...you deserve it!