Shopping – arkaysthoughts

Good Morning 🙂

I hope everyone is doing ok after the weekend. Yes it’s Monday and the start of another work week, but remember, you are in charge of how you feel. It’s hard, but try to be positive this manic Monday.

I’m not working today, worked the past three days at Machines. I’m loving the job but my legs might not feel the same way, feeling pretty tired today, woke up at 8 and didn’t go for a swim. Yea, but I’ll do it tomorrow! Well, now my good friend Cafe Mocha is keeping me company here at Starbucks as I think of something to write about today 😉

I got it, today I’m going to write about reading.

I know a lot of you are going to be, “but I got no time to read” or “I don’t like reading” or whatever other excuses there are. Whether your want to read is up to you (unless you’re my little brother) but the benefits are very much underrated. I would like you to check out the quote below please,

“a mind once stretched by a new idea can never return to its original dimensions.” Oliver Wendell Holmes

Think about it for a second. I love watching tv but really, after a while I start thinking to myself, ” how does this benefit me?”. Sure a little tv a day helps me unwind, but really, do we stop at an hour? Reading a good book, or a good magazine exposes us to ideas and stimulates our minds. Reading a good biography is like having a conversation with the author. And we all need such conversations to keep out minds sharp.

“Drink Coffee with Gandhi.” Robin Sharma

“Reading a book by someone you respect allows some of their brilliance to rub off on you.” Robin Sharma

One of the main factors in my tremendous recovery over the past few weeks has been reading. My in depth conversation David Schwartz about The Magic of Thinking Big revitalised my spirit and further conversations with Robin Sharma and Richard Branson further fuelled my spirit. They have exposed me to so many new concepts and ideas that have opened my mind up. They have been the main inspiration behind a lot of my articles.

My Top List of books to read
1. 7 habits of highly effective teens – Seaon Covey
2. Screw it Let’s do it Expanded – Richard Branson
3. Tuesday with Morrie
4. the Greatness Guide 1 & 2 – Robin Sharma
5. The Magic of Thinking Big – David Schawrtz
6. Your Money Ratios- Charles Farrell

And when it comes to reading, I have nothing against story books, but try to mix it up with good books that will help you grow. Autobiographies. Personal development books. Etc. of course there are story books that help you grow as well, by all means go for it, but don’t forget to make time to have a conversation with someone like Gandhi or Martin Luther King or Richard Branson. And by all means mix it up with having JK Rowling or Rick Riordan tell you a story, because having conversations with only certain people will add a certain monotony after a while.

So anyway, go and start that book you’ve been procrastinating about. Don’t start any new tv shows! And hey, if you’ve got nothing on your book shelf, take a look at my list above.

Have a great day,

Straight From The Heart

Arkay6

As much as some companies would love customers to use their heads, most use their hearts

What do the biggest brands have in common?

A customer-fan base. Loyalist. Supporters.

The brand appeals to their emotion, their hearts and then their heads. Whether it’s environmentally friendly products, cool products, a great environment, or top-notch staff. Brands like Apple, Virgin, Body Shop & Starbucks have learnt that most people buy with their hearts first before their heads. Hence the Apple Fanboys & Starbucks loyalists. I’ve talked about Apple products before, so let me talk about Starbucks… Why do I come here almost everyday and pay a little more than 10 bucks for a drink?

1. The Cafe Mocha is awesome
2. The staff is so damn friendly and are great talk to. They remember your name, they make an effort to make you feel appreciated.
3. The have a great environment here. The slight feel of humanity through the buzz of conversations slightly drowned out by the delightful and great music they play. It just has such a nice feel; a comfy setting, plug points every where. They make you feel at home.
4. The pride themselves on being socially conscious, more specifically environmentally conscious. They practice Earth Hour and I just saw this sign on their counter about a waterfall clean-up tomorrow organised by them. They encourage you to use reusable tumblers, yes you need to buy theirs, but you get a 2 buck discount if you bring it and use it. So over time, if you are a regular, you’ll cover your “expenditure”. Amazing.

Starbucks doesn’t just appeal to me, it appeals to million in the country and many more across the globe.

Anyway, this isn’t about Starbucks but about how to become a great brand. Like Apple, Body Shop, Starbucks & Virgin.

As much as people say we should shop with our heads, we really love the brands that appeal to our hearts.

“business is in so many ways is about love. Think about it. Success comes by treating your customers with love. Acclaim comes by doing your job with love. Market leadership comes with selling your wares with love. If your customers only like you, you are vulnerable to losing them when a competitor with a cheaper product or a more economical service comes along. Why? Because you’ve failed emotionally. Connect with them. because when customers love you- because you’ve touched their hearts but the way you occur in their lives – you become a part of their extended family. You’re now part of their community. They become loyal. They tell the rest of the family about you. And they’ll take good care of you should times get tough.” Robin Sharma, the Greatness Guide

Straight From The Heart

Arkay6

Tag: Shopping

Of Conversations & Story Telling

Heart Appeal & Brands

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