Consumerism & Employment

Consumerism

Unless flyer-running is a fun hobby, a smart shopper plainly knows the value they are getting for the dollars they are paying, as well as the hidden fees, like gas for bebopping around town. They look for quality and taste before price and at the same time consider price comparisons between brands. They buy what they need and like for themselves because they know themselves well and don’t fall into the mob mentality that throngs of Black Friday shoppers express. Nor do they buy compulsively, as if it’s the last item on Earth or as an addiction in buying things they will never use from the Shopping Channel. Those are unhealthy ways to fill the loveless void in one’s life.

Advertising tricks

Being a smart consumer means you know many of the tricks that advertisers use to manipulate the masses into buying their specific product, and they’re directed at triggering your emotions. Corporations are continuously attempting to fulfill some missing piece in your life with useless junk while filling their pockets with your cash and credit. If it’s of no use to you it is junk. Such is the nature of capitalism: to solicit their brand of something arbitrary to fill a primal need from deep within your psyche. And, unless you really want what they’re selling, all you really need is to know your own mind and buy things with deliberate intent that you will enjoy for a long time.

Buying used for the quality

There are a few ways to polish up your purchasing power and buying second hand items rather than new is often a good one. Consider garage sales and thrift stores for low-end items that people want to be rid of and estate or moving liquidation sales for high-end items that include the entire contents of a home, garden, and often a tool shed.

To give you a really good visual of what you can find at a moving or estate liquidation, check out my client Vancouver Island Estate Liquidators. It will blow you away some of the amazing things collected over a lifetime from lapel pins to Swarovski crystal figurines. Besides outstanding antiques and collectibles there is a LOT of solid wood furniture at these events that today’s modern engineered veneer can’t even come close to in quality.

Bartering & good will trading

Trading favours or items of equal value is a great method of exchange that replaces currency with friendship and good will. People love to give back out of sheer gratitude when someone does something wonderful for them and you just need a good network of friends and colleagues to engage in this type of informal trading. One time I traded a set of snow skis for a brake job on my car and another time I traded some article writing for a flagship course. Win-win!

Direct Buying & Selling Opportunities

I placed this information between Consumerism and Employment because it benefits both areas of life with wholesale discount buying and entrepreneurial independence. There are over 200 companies that use the direct selling model in Canada and that figure continues to grow as the billions of dollars in payment to independent representatives show.

The point is to seek out a company that is aligned with your own values plus those area(s) of life you are most passionate about and take it from there to become an influencer in your own right. As you know my passions revolve around personal care, health, self-sustainability and environmental stewardship, therefore I am happy with Avon and Juice Plus, who are also members of the Direct Sellers Association (DSA). You can check out the DSA website for all of the statistics your little brain needs to help you decide if this option is right for you.

Even as a partner or representative you don’t have to work the business angle, as you can just stay a personal consumer buying for yourself. But, it never hurts to keep your mind open to opportunity should it come a knocking, part-time or full-time because it will be your passion that drives you. And yes, passion is reflected in monetary gain.

In the meantime, here are some other benefits to consider in being a direct seller should the day come when you are ready to simply wade around or dive right in. The important thing to remember with dramatic career changes is they require much inner personal contemplation if the prompting doesn’t come naturally, and you need to keep your mind open to growth.

Character & financial benefits

• Flexible hours
• Increased family & recreation time
• Opportunity for home-based business
• Income tied to effort
• Potential for personal, social, intellectual & financial growth
• Expansive on-demand support & training from an established company
• Personal sponsor/mentor
• Surrounded by like-minded individuals
• Work atmosphere of coopetition rather than competition
• Control of own destiny

Amazing company perks & provisions

• Zero to minimal enrollment fees
• Tiered commissions & discounts based on volume purchasing (25% & up)
• Free personalized online store with digital brochures
• Unquestioned return guarantees (usually 45-60 days)
• Responsible animal welfare policies
• Higher quality product than OTC brands
• More advanced technology & research in product manufacture
• Company supports world causes in a big way

My AVON partnership

I’ve always had a fondness for AVON and sold it decades ago where I had to meet customers at a coffee shop with a whole kit full of samples, which was more of a hobby at that time in my life. This time around since 2019 I have my own online boutique and my customers can shop with me from the convenience of home and have their orders shipped directly to them. AVON face and body products work for my skin and that’s what matters, plus they are constantly innovating and as a representative I get amazing deals, as well as first dibs on new products.

In May of this year 2024 I was chosen through a casting call to be a member of the private mastermind group known as the Avon Creative Collective. Skin care complements my life coaching business in a big way because it addresses the need for self-care and promotes self-love on a tangible level that supports ‘feeling good in your skin’.

Employment

Job, career, vocation, business, profession, occupation.

Any work that you do should be in a word: fulfilling. That’s the crux of it. If at the end of the day you feel like you accomplished something, solved an issue or everything went smoothly with no complaints or hiccups, you feel you did good. Even better is when you receive recognition and performance awards for being and doing your best.

On the other hand, if you dread getting out of bed, starting the car, riding the bus or sky train before you even get to your place of employment you clearly have issues with that company or person(s) there. Your energy will tell you. It’s also a message if you start watching the clock right after lunch just waiting until it’s time to go home.

This type of discomfort is of no consequence and doesn’t cause any serious problems in the short term, but year after year of the same resistance around work will slowly suck the life out of you. How? Because deep down that resistance creates a subtle tension in the body and anxiety creeps in from lack of intellectual stimulation and/or creative expression. You sense something has to change and only you can affect whatever that change is, whether it’s getting a promotion, finding a new job, or branching out on your own.

Job re-evaluation

Think about the fact that a job is about one third of your life and to waste that much time on forcing yourself to do something that makes you miserable is just plain nonsense. And consider the ripple effect in every other area of your life, especially your immediate family where you bring your misery home to become tidal waves of discontent for everyone. Isn’t it time to take a few moments between work and home for some quiet meditation before opening the door to your sanctuary. And vice versa, before you enter your workplace you are meant to drop all of your problems from home outside the door. That’s rule number one for a better workplace to begin with that I learned back in 1986 from my boss at a Greek restaurant where I was head waitress.

And yes, you can work yourself out of a job being too efficient! So what…go for it. It’s called character development and I’ve done it many times, and just kept honing my skills when I left and moved on. My resume is a very colourful representation of versatility in job performance since I was 15 and I love to learn with the freedom to grow in industry and knowledge. Even the short-term financial setbacks in between growth periods gave me a chance to regroup, including on the family front as a single parent and the next job always paid higher.

Entrepreneurship

The entrepreneurial spirit is strong for many people and it’s one that won’t stay down forever, especially these days of choice and opportunity. It doesn’t hurt to experiment with starting a business, but it’s a good idea to take a business course before you find yourself owing thousands in taxes out of ignorance. There is lots of business training in almost every community and if you’re on unemployment insurance benefits you have many options to start training for business or paid to learn on the job.

Entrepreneurs will change the world.

Perhaps your brains is hungry and you’re just prompting yourself to learn something new. Take a course! Scope out these university courses available online for free that will complement the job you now have or help you decide on a new career path.

• Coursera
• Edx