Dopamine Fix - The One-Sided Fantasy | Dr John Demartini

 

Are you making foolish decisions because dopamine runs you? Dr Demartini breaks down how searching for the one sided fantasy (positive without negative) leads to searching for quick fixes. If you want to be a master in your life, it is time to embrace both sides. Set yourself free from the illusion of one-sidedness.

Anheuser-Busch Inbev brand says it will create a special can if #Bud4Utah hashtag gets circulated 84,899 times

 

Full Article Here

Budweiser is making a pitch to be the official beer of the most sober state in the union. In a new campaign the brew says it will create a special can just for Utah if the #Bud4Utah hashtag gets circulated 84,899 times on Twitter by Sept. 13. That number represents the total square feet of the state. A video by VaynerMedia pushing the effort features a character named Jed lamenting the fact that Utah has an official state fruit (cherries), rock (coal) and flower (sego lily)—but not a beer.

Uncommon Goods' Brian Hashemi Talks Social Media Investments and Customer Retention

Original Article on EMarketer by Rima Kats

The retail industry has faced major changes this year, both good and bad. Companies have had to adjust budgets, reimagine marketing efforts and adapt to new consumer behaviors. Uncommon Goods, an eco-conscious online and catalog retailer of unique gifts, is no stranger to this variety of operational shifts brought on by the pandemic.

We recently spoke with Brian Hashemi, the brand's head of marketing and analytics, about how it has adapted to new supply chain logistics, what it is doing to retain new customers, and the pros and cons of TikTok advertising.

How has the pandemic affected Uncommon Goods?

We had to completely shut down our main distribution center in New York City for two months. But since it reopened, we've been trying to figure out how to run it effectively while maintaining social distancing.

Another issue is that lot of our vendors have faced similar supply chain disruptions, all while customer demand skyrocketed. We've had to focus on how to be more efficient and how to drive revenues at the lowest stock-acquisition costs, so that we don't inundate our operations.

We're also putting together contingency plans in the event that a second wave hits New York during the holiday season.

Have you had to scale back in any way?

On a top level, no. We've definitely scaled up our investments, which we're able to do at this time of the year. During the holiday season, we might not have that luxury.

However, I would say that it's not the same for all channels. We've scaled up in some areas, like Facebook. There have been good opportunities to drive very low-cost acquisition there. So, we've taken advantage of that and dramatically ramped up our ad investments.

Meanwhile, in other areas like direct mail, there's a much longer lead time to that investment, and you're locked into it. Because of all the uncertainty, we've scaled back spending on those kinds of ad formats.

Many brands are investing in TikTok advertising. Has Uncommon Goods done the same?

Yes, we've seen products just take off on TikTok, and there have been times that it caught us by surprise. We wondered, "Man, why is this thing selling so much today? It's really going crazy." Then we traced the surge back to a viral TikTok video.

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Our products have had a few organic successes like that, which made us want to invest more in the platform. So, we've started experimenting with advertising on TikTok, as well as working directly with influencers. In both cases thus far, we have been unable to replicate the success of the organically viral products that have done well for us. The conversion rates are really low, but we're still optimistic. We'll definitely continue investing and learning about those channels.

Have you seen a rise in new customers? If so, what are you doing to retain them?

We saw record levels of customer acquisitions in Q2. We've had a lot of concerns about the lifetime value of these customers, because a large portion of them are coming through transactional channels that are normally associated with lower levels of repurchase behavior.

So, we have put a lot of emphasis on our retention efforts with these cohorts. We increased our email opt-in acquisitions and recently leveraged SMS as a new retention method, which has been going very well.

We've also done a lot more testing around our loyalty program, called "Uncommon Perks," which now has a free two-week trial.

Can you elaborate on the SMS program?

We send out weekly broadcast messages that highlight new products, sales or whatever is going on at the company.

Our investment in SMS was a project that we started last year, but I think it's worked out really well amid the pandemic. The response rates we see for SMS are, on average, about 10 times higher than for email. But we can't send SMS messages at the same frequency as we do emails, so there's definitely a little back and forth regarding which channel is better for us.

What's next for Uncommon Goods?

Our road map has completely changed. Going into the year, we were highly focused on exploring new acquisition models, diversifying beyond the Facebook and Google duopoly, and finding other ways to effectively grow brand awareness.

Acquisition is not a problem for us, and we're much more focused on efficiency. So, if we have a limited amount of operational capacity, how do we drive that level of business in the most profitable manner? To a degree, we've shelved our branding campaigns for a while. We're back to focusing much more on lower-funnel, higher-ROI [return on investment] performance marketing.

I'm sure that we will switch back at some point, and that upper-funnel acquisition will become relevant again in a post-pandemic world, but that's been pushed back by roughly a year.

This Speech Will Change Your Life | Carl Sagan

 

Original Video

:Transcript:

From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of any particular interest. But for us, it's different. Consider again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor, and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps a no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.

The Illusion of Success and Failure | Dr Demartini

 

Don’t let yourself be distracted by the illusions of ‘success or failure’. Dr Demartini breaks down why looking for a pleasure and avoiding pain will distract you from your vision.You’d be wise to learn how to love ‘failure’ as much as ‘success’ since you’re going to experience ‘success’ and ‘failure’ throughout your life. Look for the valuable feedback that both of these offer.

Motivational Monday: Do you need to be inspired?

Here is the next video in our Motivational Monday Series. We start every week off with a motivational story to inspire you to greater things.

I find the YouTube Channel Great big Story has loads of interesting stories and some of them are extremely inspirational.

If you subscribe to my Patreon Channel you will get a review from me and my takings from the video.


Rocky Balboa isn’t the only champion to come out of Philly. Meet Charles King. The 69-year-old is winning medals at powerlifting competitions around the world, but his journey getting there has not been easy. The Army veteran lost his sight when he was 39, and faced battles with drug addiction, cancer and diabetes. The tragedies kept piling up after he lost his daughter, and there were times when King felt hopeless. Then, he discovered powerlifting at the age of 60. It changed everything.


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#triumph #powerlifter #veteran

This story is a part of our Human Condition series. Come along and let us connect you to some of the most peculiar, stirring, extraordinary, and distinctive people in the world.

Got a story idea for us? Shoot us an email at hey [at] GreatBigStory [dot] com

Follow us behind the scenes on Instagram: http://goo.gl/2KABeX
Make our acquaintance on Facebook: http://goo.gl/Vn0XIZ
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Visit our world directly: http://www.greatbigstory.com

Do You Know Too Much? Brandon Bays

 

Have you ever felt that all your hard earned, seemingly 'factual knowledge' is standing in the way of your ability to experience the awe and wonder of life that is available in this moment? That you’ve lost the ability you had as a child, to view the world with innocent and curious eyes, each moment lived as a fresh new experience?

As adults, so often our accumulated experience and knowledge stands as a sentry at the doorway to the unknown-- to the wonder and genius available when we open to the wordless wisdom that is only available in the unknown — in this that is NOT known. 

Watch this fascinating video to learn how to drop your expertise and open freshly to life in wonder and awe, where true genius and wisdom become available. These and other videos available now on our free membership site here:   programs.thejourney.com 

Namaste

Brandon

Neuroscientist Explains How Your Brain Is Affected by Fear, Isolation & Anxiety | Moriel Zelikowsky

 

This episode is sponsored by Skillshare. The first 1000 people to use this link will get a 2 month free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: https://skl.sh/impacttheory38

Neuroscientist Moriel Zelikowsky studies the neural mechanisms underlying stress, fear, and social behavior. On this episode of Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu, she discusses her own research into how extreme social isolation affects mice and humans. She talks about what drew her to the science of emotions, why fear is adaptive, and presents some surprising reasons to question the general advice that PTSD sufferers should join support groups.

SHOW NOTES:

Moriel discusses what drew her to the science of emotions [0:35]

Moriel right now is working on social isolation and how it affects the brain [3:39]

Violence happens often after social isolation in mice [6:33]

Fear becomes much more persistent after isolation [7:57]

Social isolation hijacks systems that normally produce positive results [12:01]

For mice, two weeks of social isolation is long enough to cause severe consequences [14:46]

To what degree does social media mitigate or exacerbate social isolation? [16:08]

Moriel discusses the most recent research on fear and where it’s located in the brain [18:18]

Moriel explains why fear is adaptive and helpful [20:25]

Moriel details how general anxiety disorder builds on itself [24:05]

The most common therapy for PTSD is some form of exposure therapy [26:15]

Moriel describes an experiment on PTSD with truly surprising results [28:27]

QUOTES:

“Everywhere you look, you can see that fear would be adaptive.” [21:16]

Fleeting Passions vs a Meaningful Purpose | Dr Demartini

 

Is going after your passions the answer? Or could this be the very thing distracting you from your meaningful purpose in life? Understand how a meaningful purpose goes beyond fleeting passions with Dr Demartini and know the difference between passion and purpose, and what your values have to do with it.

Motivational Monday: Do you need to be inspired? Meet Wrestling’s First Hijab-Wearing Competitor

Here is the next video in our Motivational Monday Series. We start every week off with a motivational story to inspire you to greater things.

I find the YouTube Channel Great big Story has loads of interesting stories and some of them are extremely inspirational.

If you subscribe to my Patreon Channel you will get a review from me and my takings from the video.


Nor “Phoenix” Diana might be small in stature, but she dominates in the ring. The world’s first hijab-wearing pro wrestler, she is also the first female to hold a Malaysia Pro Wrestling championship. She has been criticized by those who say women shouldn’t pursue sports like wrestling, but Nor tunes them out. She has the support of her fans, and she is proud to inspire other girls who wear hijabs to fight their way into the ring. The more girls in wrestling, the better. This young pioneer welcomes the competition.

SUBSCRIBE: https://goo.gl/vR6Acb

#ProWrestler #hijab #GirlPower

This story is a part of our Human Condition series. Come along and let us connect you to some of the most peculiar, stirring, extraordinary, and distinctive people in the world.

Got a story idea for us? Shoot us an email at hey [at] GreatBigStory [dot] com

Follow us behind the scenes on Instagram: http://goo.gl/2KABeX
Make our acquaintance on Facebook: http://goo.gl/Vn0XIZ
Give us a shout on Twitter: http://goo.gl/sY1GLY
Come hang with us on Vimeo: http://goo.gl/T0OzjV
Visit our world directly: http://www.greatbigstory.com

The Most Inspiring Speech: The Wisdom of a Third Grade Dropout Will Change Your Life | Rick Rigsby

Make an Impact: Rick Rigsby delivers a powerful speech on how his father's teachings have guided him through the most troubling times of his life. Are you Inspired? Order Dr. Rick Rigsby's book, "Lessons from a third grade dropout" here: 

Original Clip on Goalcast 

How to Overcome the Fear of Failure | Dr John Demartini

What is fear exactly? and how do you overcome the fear of failure? Dr John Demartini unpacks the source of your fears and how fear is your friend and how to overcome fear. Find out what balanced goals and living according to your highest values have to do with overcoming the fear of failure.

Motivational Monday: Do you need to be inspired? 4 Stories About Beautiful Friendships

Here is the next video in our Motivational Monday Series. We start every week off with a motivational story to inspire you to greater things.

I find the YouTube Channel Great big Story has loads of interesting stories and some of them are extremely inspirational.

If you subscribe to my Patreon Channel you will get a review from me and my takings from the video.


These friendships have replanted forests and swam the seas. We’re celebrating that special person in your life that makes you stronger and makes the world a better place to live. When was the last time you called your best friend?

SUBSCRIBE: https://goo.gl/vR6Acb

This story is a part of our Human Condition series. Come along and let us connect you to some of the most peculiar, stirring, extraordinary, and distinctive people in the world.

Got a story idea for us? Shoot us an email at hey [at] GreatBigStory [dot] com

Follow us behind the scenes on Instagram: http://goo.gl/2KABeX
Make our acquaintance on Facebook: http://goo.gl/Vn0XIZ
Give us a shout on Twitter: http://goo.gl/sY1GLY
Come hang with us on Vimeo: http://goo.gl/T0OzjV
Visit our world directly: http://www.greatbigstory.com