Belief, Bacon and Botox

The power of our beliefs is so strong it influences every decision we make and WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IT! It's actually kind of scary if you think about it. Let me give you a very simple example from Predictably Irrational. In blind taste tests a majority of people choose Pepsi over Coke. If the labels are revealed before the test, a majority choose Coke. We see the Coke label and choose Coke, but we actually like the way Pepsi tastes better. We believe we like Coke better and thus we choose Coke. Our belief creates our reality rather than our actual experience.

This happens to all of us many times a day. Let's say you are female (or fat or a minority or have a slight limp or etc. etc. etc.) and you are ignored at a car dealership. This happened to me, and I assumed it was because I was female (insert your perceived reason for what you see as a slight - fat, minority, etc. here) and was seen as having no buying power or that I would come back with the man in my life to actually make a purchase. Now I have no idea if this is the reason I was ignored. Maybe everyone was just busy. But to this day, I believe it was because I was a woman alone. See how our beliefs can impact us? I saw a slight where none may have existed.

I've found the recent horror stories about the economy impacting me. Let's face it, you can't live on this planet and not hear regularly about the mortgage crisis, people getting kicked out of their homes, layoffs, the price of gas, the stock market falling, AAAIIIEEE! It's the Grapes of Wrath!! We are all one step away from a Frigidaire box under a bridge!!! Grab your children - start collecting aluminum cans - dump your evil SUV, get a Prius - we are going down!!!!

Now, if I look at my situation, I am doing fine! My income is up over last year, financially I am doing very well. But hearing all this day in and day out is changing my beliefs. Instead of planning a big trip this year, I'm paying off my mortgage. I'm being much more careful with my money. I'm more risk averse. (Of course, if everyone is doing this, it only makes the economy worse, but that's a blog for someone else to write.) The media is very powerful in shaping our beliefs - it's very scary how much so.

Don't like the economic example? How about how we feel about our bodies? The shade of our teeth? Our hair? Our wrinkles? When women get poison injected into their foreheads and can no longer convey emotion, things have gotten a bit scary. The belief is that aging is bad and smoother skin is worth giving up your time, money, and ability to express emotion for. This, of course, is a losing battle - but belief (I must be eternally young to be loved and have value) offsets rationality (I can't be eternally young and my value has nothing to do with the appearance of my forehead).

I wonder if I would have liked the Chocolate Bacon Bar if I hadn't know it had bacon in it - if I thought it had nuts or something else salty? I wonder if I would be better off to say, "Damn the economy, I'm going to Disneyland!" I wonder how many times my own insecurities have pushed someone away? What beliefs do you hold that influence your actions and experiences? I think the key to happiness is figuring out what they are and making sure you really want to hang onto them.

Chocolate, Bacon, and Mad Men

Carole Walker not only gave me chocolate Peeps, she gave me a Vosges Haut-Chocolat bar. The name - Mo's Bacon Bar. The description - applewood smoked bacon, Alder wood smoked salt, and deep milk chocolate. The picture -

Okay - my picture is lame. The bar itself just looks like a regular chocolate bar. I wanted to show you the slab of bacon on the wrapper! The verdict? Hmmm.....sweet and salty, which I love, but I must confess that I found the involvement of bacon kind of creepy. I think I want any meat I consume to not be in my candy. But I'm damn glad I tried it! Carole, you are the best!!

I was in Target today and on impulse decided to give chocolate gum another chance. I was in line, this was by the register - I am a sucker!!

Guess what? It's not too bad! Here's the difference - Dentyne stuck with mint, there is really only a hint of chocolate. Like a tease. No meat. I liked it.

What a great world we live in! A world where people make cool, exotic candy bars; where gum makers constantly innovate; and where shows like Mad Men are popular. If you haven't see this show, I highly recommend it. It has restored my faith not only in the medium of television, but in the critics (they all like it!). Why do I love it so much?

The costumes, the sets, the attention to detail are amazing. You really feel like you are back in the Kennedy Era. I like the way there is depth to the characters, and it is revealed slowly. I love the writing - so many shows today are just lame comedies. This one makes you think. I love the advertising industry and its history. I like realizing how far women have come and how much power they have always had (they just used it a little differently). And I love watching the lead character's struggle with his desires.

What are you grateful for? Are you finding the joy or focusing on the pain? Life is as good (or bad) as you make it. Carpe chocolate! Carpe vita!

I'm in Love with the Pillsbury Doughboy

I have some 'splanin to do. I don't think I've ever addressed why the heck I'm blogging about chocolate and motivation. I have discussed the power of chocolate bribery on school children and the fact that women in India and Brazil will do almost anything for chocolate. Obviously for some of us, chocolate can be a powerful motivator. But the real reason for this blog is to explore a new twist on an old topic.

I've been a professional speaker for almost ten years now, and I know that meeting planners and meeting attendees are dying for something new. Heck, I'm dying for something new! So this blog is testing the waters, forcing me to write and see if I can link enough useful motivational concepts to that wonderful, delicious, food of the gods - chocolate. We know people love chocolate, we know they like to be inspired - here we'll learn if the two can be mixed. Or if, like Chocolate Bubble Yum, the sum is not greater than its parts.

I have been having some chocolate fun - I really do think that having fun is a HUGE part of staying motivated. And I also think we don't have nearly enough of it. I tried the Reese's' Bat (released for the Batman movie) and was shocked by the fact that I didn't think it was all that great. I mean surely the only difference between the Bat and the Reese's' Egg (which I adore) is the shape. Maybe this Bat was not fresh - I can't explain it, I only know I can live without another Bat. But it was fun to actually find a Reese's' Bat (I visited lots of convenience stores before I found one) and I did score the very last one in the display! Ah - obviously the fun was in the journey, not in the destination. (Like Trick or Treating or Easter Egg Hunting - the fun is in the game, the seeking - that's the exciting part. It's just not the same to go to the store and buy a bag of holiday candy.)

On a whim I bought a bag of chocolate marshmallows and am having fun deciding whether or not I really like them. I mean they are okay. That's how I feel about regular marshmallows. They are not great, not bad - they are okay. They are low in fat and relatively low in calories. They have a great texture and are fun to eat (squishy in a noncreepy way), but are they really in my top ten? Top twenty? Top 1,000? Should they even be on the list at all? I'll have to get back to you on this - right now, when I want something a little sweet, I'm grabbing a chocolate marshmallow. I'd like to try one roasted. Maybe with peanut butter. Hmmmmm...

I'm also having fun doing the research for this blog. My latest find? America's Most Loved Spokescreature is......drum roll please........the M & M's characters!!!! Yay!! Followed by the Geico Gecko, the Aflac Duck, and (another fav of mine) Poppin' Fresh. I love that little guy!!

How are YOU traveling these days? Enjoying the journey? Having enough fun? Or are you waiting for some mysterious time in the future when you'll have fun? Maybe when the economy is better or gas prices drop? Better start making time for fun now, my friend - as Emerson said "We are always getting ready to live and never living." And don't forget the immortal words of Poppin' Fresh, "Hee, hee!"