Thursday, June 5, 2008

Let's Unite

Well people, the big race is over, and it seems that Obama has ended up on top. As we all know, it was quite a close and intense race for the democratic nomination, and it caught the attention of the entire nation. More so than any candidate race that I have ever experienced in my life.

The question is why though? Why did this race pull so many strings in our hearts and compelled all of us to get involved, Republican and Democratic? It wasn't a particularly mean or offensive campaign, granted there was some scuffles, but for the most part the candidates did their best to not snap at each others throat. It wasn't because their views were so conflicting, in fact they agreed on pretty much all of the key issues that are apparent to this upcoming election.

So what was it then? What was the reason that this primary election grabbed the headlines of every news outlet every day? Well I think the answer is the same one that can be used in determining why Obama won the race in general.

The key difference between Obama and Clinton was a very subtle one, but it made all the difference never the less. Obama spoke from his heart, where as Clinton spoke from her head.

Clinton came from the angle that pretty much every other candidate that I have observed in my short life, and that was one of a politician. The tactics of double talk, and covering up her real self were very apparent throughout her whole campaign. Her tactics for acquiring new voters were all pretty conventional, and somewhat emotionless.

Then you got Obama, who spoke from his heart every time he came to a podium. The sincerity and conviction in his voice let you know that he was for real. The man just spoke from his heart, and the nation could see that (at least the majority). For a man who came out of nowhere, the fact that he even won the primary election is an amazing feat nevertheless, but when you hear the man speak, you can start to understand how he pulled it off.

So what can we learn from this? We learned that Americans are changing. We are learning to determine what is real and what is fake much better than even 5 years ago. In a world littered with advertisement, and shameless promotion, we are in turn becoming more efficient in determining what is genuine, and what is just another attempt to get our vote (or dollar for that matter).

While this information probably has many advertising agencies shaking in their extremely overpriced boots, this does nothing but put a big smile on my face. Watching my fellow Americans wake up and pull the wool from their eyes brings me so much happiness and hope. Hope that this country will become the great nation that it can potentially be. A true United States of America with emphasis on the word "United"

So how does this effect business? Well for starters it once again stresses the fact that consumers (or voters for that matter) want to know about your company, and not about how much money you spent on that Superbowl ad. They want information, not presentation, and if your product isn't any different than your competitors that has established a real relationship with their own clients, don't even bother.

So in closing, I would like to say whatever your political party, whatever sex or race you might be, I'm proud to be your fellow citizen, and let's do what the name of our country says and unite.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Taking Ownership

We all know the basic meaning of this phrase, I mean it’s pretty self explanatory right? If something belongs to you, you in turn confirm that you are in fact the owner. Pretty simple concept, but there is a deeper meaning to it to me and many others.

Taking Ownership is almost synonymous with taking initiative. If you own something, you have to be responsible for it, and do whatever you have to do to maintain it. This same logic applies to when you take ownership of an intangible object, or an ideal. When we take ownership of anything, weather it be a new business venture or it be a new hobby of yours, there becomes a more underlining bond with it. We instantly feel closer to what it is we are doing and want, and make it seem much more achievable or realistic.

Now this doesn’t mean you should just walk around and just take ownership of every aspect of your life. No one wants to own too much stuff, because that just means more responsibility, and the people that do in fact want to own as much stuff as they can, usually also pay people to maintain and claim responsibility for such items

The key is to find two or three things that inspire you and everyday life, and take ownership of them. Like Tears for Fears once sang, “Everybody wants to rule the world”, but unfortunately NO ONE has the time or ability to take ownership of every aspect of their life, or even most of them for that matter. If you feel like you are capable of taking ownership of more aspects of life, I suggest starting with two or three, and then gauging weather you would like to take on more responsibility. Once you make a conscious decision to take ownership of something, you will be amazed at how much more devoted and confidant you will be at that given aspect of life.