09.22.2009

Going the Distance

Today's guest blogger is Anna Harris, who heads up our online marketing effort.

The news constantly bombards us with stories about obesity, weight-related health scares, and the lethargic nature of American society.  Kids play video games that simulate playing sports or learning an instrument, instead of actually playing the sport or learning the instrument - does that strike anyone else as odd?  Meanwhile, even though they're safe indoors and increasing hand-eye coordination, the companion to a day of gaming is a day of snacking.  It's pretty sickening that soft drink consumption has gone up 70% since the 1970s, and 41% of kids under the age of 11 drink one or more soft drinks per day.  There are about 8 teaspoons of sugar in a typical 12-ounce can of soda.  Combine that with couch-surfing and it's obvious we have a problem. 

Now think about your own life.  How much of your time is spent working at the computer, commuting to and from work, dozing in front of the TV?  Most of us are letting life take over, well, our lives (the 'living' aspect, anyway).  How can we help but be overweight, depressed, and unhappy if we can't take a step back, fuel ourselves correctly, and let ourselves play?  It doesn't help that we keep trying to patch over the problem in various ways.  Over the last 70 years, the US fashion industry has steadily increased dress sizes to allow for vanity - what would have been a Size 12 dress in 1940 is now known as a Size 6.  Architects have even been accused of creating built environments on a larger scale to allow those that experience them to feel smaller and fitter in comparison.  I'm not sure how I feel about that one - we've all seen the Coliseum, after all - but it's no secret that Americans do eat more often than we need, and typically the basic foods that make up an American diet are pretty horrific in comparison to the things the rest of the world consumes.

One of the best things about living in Chicago, as far as I'm concerned, is the availability of sports, games, and physical-fitness activities for all ages.  Having lived in New Orleans for the last 10 years, I was accustomed to eating huge meals, eating fried food daily, and drinking tons of beer or soda to wash it all down.  People who mentioned 'working out', 'dieting' or 'running' were openly mocked in my circle, and going to the gym was as exotic as visiting a foreign land.  When I moved to Chicago last year I was verging on portly.  It was only after signing up for a free session with a personal trainer at my gym that I realized just what I had been doing to my body with years of abuse.  I couldn't run more than a minute or two without collapsing.  I hurt all over.  Things jiggled.  More than that, I was unhappy with myself, and knew that continuing down that road would only lead to serious health troubles.  Around that time, an article on Autism in the local paper caught my eye.  It gave the stats on the disease - 1 in every 150 kids born today - and it struck a chord to see that there was no known cause or cure.  I realized that I had been living selfishly, abusing my body with horrible (though delicious) food, literally poisonous beverages, and absolutely no exercise whatever.  Here I was, being given the chance to be completely healthy and whole, and throwing it away.  Meanwhile, there are kids out there who will never be allowed that luxury, who have to fight every day just to communicate with the people they love.  How could I be so selfish?

In a nutshell, this is why I'm running the Chicago Marathon on October 11th, 2009.  Over the past year, I've struggled to learn to fuel myself correctly, run for long (and often quite painful) distances, and take care of myself with plenty of rest and reflection.  I'm running for a very worthy charity that means the world to me - The Organization for Autism Research - an organization that strives every day to help families struggling with Autism get the information they need to successfully treat the disease.  There is no known cure, and the statistics are staggering.  Twenty years ago, the rate of kids born with Autism was 1 in 5,000.  By 1994, it was 1 in 500.  Only four years ago, it was 1 in 166.  Today it's 1 in 150.  The disease can be treated pretty successfully if it's caught early and the child has access to extensive therapy - about 35 hours a week.  Many people don't know that, and many families who do still don't have the resources to afford that kind of medical care. 

I urge any of you who have children, intend on having children, intend on having grandchildren or even know a child (yes, everyone) to help fight this disease.  Start with yourself if you have the courage and want to see a change in your life.  After all, with no known cause, it could very well be a result of not getting enough exercise or because we should be eating less processed foods and more organics.  It certainly can't hurt to take care of yourself, and it is guaranteed to help you live a healthier and heartier life.  I also can't stress how much better life has been since I started running, but that's another story.  If you are able and interested, please visit my fundraising page for OAR.  And if you happen to be in the area and feel like watching me make a fool of myself in 26.2 miles or less, visit me at the Chicago Marathon in a couple of weeks!

 

09.02.2009

An Evaluation

Recently I read an article on value, and how in this economic climate more buyers are thinking about value when making purchasing decisions.  It was a great article, though if you've been reading my blog you know that I've been on that train for a long time now.  While reading, I thought to myself, 'Wouldn't it be great to write something on consumers, value, and how this pertains to the work we do at MCA?'  After all, it would be something fun and easy to write about, no real thinking involved - right?

I started with a little online research.  My first step was to type the word 'value' into Google and see how many times it popped up on the internet (about 746,000,000 times, if you're interested).  Initially I thought to just go down the page until I found a few interesting articles on people and value, make some easy comparisons, talk about design, and call it a day.  I quickly realized it just wasn't going to be that easy.

Since nothing seemed to be quite what I was looking for on Google, my next stop was Wikipedia.  Everything's a breeze on there...unless, of course, you're looking up the word 'value'.  According to Wikipedia, there are at least 10 completely different (values, ha!) ways to use the word 'value', depending on if you're referring to economics, mathematics, ethics, personal and cultural matters, investing, marketing, computer science, law, semiotics, or colors. 

A little more research into value in both its economic and personal definitions led me to an important realization.  Value, as discussed in connection with purchasing habits and identity, is a philosophical definition, relating to the personal importance a buyer places on the item in question.  This means that when a potential homebuyer walks through a model home and considers whether or not to purchase, among the many things that rolls through his or her mind is the big question - Is this house worth more to me than the money I will pay for it? 

At this point, I assume that most of you will be thinking in terms of resale value, or at least the use of sound materials, something to make the consumer believe he or she is getting a good 'deal' for the money.  In fact, that's where most people go wrong.  Even I had it partially wrong, because I always associated the many values a homebuyer has to sort through while making the big decision as being the SAME 'value'.  However, there's an important differentiation. 

The 'value' I've always been most concerned about, without even knowing it had a name or even a concrete difference, is something known in academic circles as 'personal philosophic value'.  This particular decision-making tool differs from person to person, and can be defined by a simple sentence - 'Is it worth...?'

Now you're asking, 'But, worth WHAT?'  We'll never know.  Every man, woman and child has his or her own set of (personal and cultural values) beliefs.  Money talks, but not everyone listens in the same way.  A guy might walk into one of our models, see a fabulous bar and billiards area and think of all the great nights he could have hanging out with his buddies.  You can't place a monetary value on great moments with good friends, but if he decides to buy the house, maybe you have.  A newly married couple walks into a baby's bedroom in one of our models, eyes the bassinet and then each other.  They share a secret smile.  Together they've decided that having a happy family is worth more to them than the money they have to spend to make it happen. 

'Is it worth?' doesn't refer to the confines of the house at all, but the life that the buyer will live within it. 

Value in its many forms is extremely important, and always has been.  We should try to always keep in mind that no matter what the economy is telling us, people still want the best for themselves and their families.  It is our responsibility (and what a joy!) to help homebuyers achieve their dreams by showing them the possibilities that exist.  Luckily for us, when we do a good job at appealing to a prospective buyer's value system, we also do a good job at improving our own values - economically speaking, of course!

Read the article that got me thinking more about value.