Here's my favorite excerpt...
"An innocent 14 year old girl lost her life just off the Florida panhandle the other day. That’s tragic news—it always is when something like this happens.
But why the panic? Why the front page headlines in New York (no sharks here)? Why the emergency orders and the closed beaches?
Last year there were 30 shark attacks in Florida. This is fewer than the number of people killed by deer accidents (not deer attacks) in the United States. Fewer than the number of people killed in just a few hours of Labor Day traffic. Yet you don't see people paying money to see movies about killer deer, or fretting about driving to see Aunt Sue.
Shark attack is like cancer. The phrase alone gets you to sit up and take notice, to have a sharp intake of breath, to hope that everything is okay.
Cancer kills about as many Americans as heart disease, but we react completely differently to news about a friend or a colleague with one disease or the other. We ostracize smokers but few people are serious enough about heart disease to become vegetarians… very different reactions to similar disease-causing lifestyle choices. "
His marketing lesson:
" You may have the greatest thing ever, but if it doesn’t match a prevailing worldview in the market where you hope to tell your story, you’re invisible."
If you've ever read a description of my signature classes (Yoga Happy Hour or Equibrium), you'll definately see claims to weight loss, a more toned body. You also see claims of "more energy," "better sleep," "improved overall lifestyle and mood." But as Seth so brilliantly points out, when marketing something you have to match a prevailing worldview. The worldview of women in the midwest is that exercise is a price you pay for a smaller leaner body that looks better in clothes.
And let's face it, there's nothing quite as satisfying
as pulling on a size smaller jeans
and seeing yourself in the dressing room mirror
looking absolutely fabulous!
I hope you have these "I'm fabulous" moments as often as possible.
I'd also challenge you to take a moment and think about all the WONDERFUL things in you have because you take care of your body.
And if you're looking to lose weight, sign up for my class: "Equilibrium: Balanced Fitness for Women" at the community center in Liberty. I am very fortunate that I have some clients with incredible accomplishments. Simply incredible.
Jennifer used to tell me she'd never be thin because she'd had two children, etc, etc. Then she dropped he r bodyfat from 35% to 23%. She's now training for a bodybuilding show and her enthusiasm borders on overzealous. Love it.
Laura M didn't let cancer or trips to MDAnderson for nasty "check-ups" deter her from dropping over 40 pounds. Amazing thing is Laura has always shown up with one of the best attitudes - focused and ready to work and smiling.
And Laura S. holds the record with a weight loss of 95 pounds. And this woman has a job and seven children under the age of 14!
So what was your excuse????
As proud as I am of these accomplishments, what you'll always hear me talk about first is the smiles and energy I see come from women who put themselves first for one hour a day. Lorraine's arms look unbelieveable. And Lorraine had a darling figure on day one. Another client jokingly told me I shouldn't let her in Equilibrium, she'd throw off our amazing "pounds lost" averages. :)
And there's Trish, Miss Consistency. Trish gets up EARLY and does a long drive on dark country roads and get her exercise in before she starts her day as a busy attorney. Last summer she hiked out of the Grand Canyon and she hasn't slowed down since.
It's not like these gals go home to eat bonbons and watch the morning talk shows. But they show up. They get stronger, they get healthier, and they offer unbelievable support to each other.
Oh wait - reality. NO ONE registers for a class because they'll have a great time getting healthier and making friends in a positive way doing positive things for themself. They sign up for a class because they hope to lose a dress size. That's the worldview. And Seth is right - I need to market my program to match the prevailing worldview.
(And you can bet I'll do a future post on his points about
ostracizing smokers then eating crap.
Thanks for the inspiration, Seth.)
For now, you get signed up for Equlibrium and tell your friends to too. You can lose alot of weight.
Better yet, blow off the worldview and do something good for yourself. Either way I hope to see you on Monday the 11th.
Have a great weekend and a happy fourth.
Angela
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