15 Meanings

What types of meaningful experiences do people value? In the course of helping companies develop products and services that suit their markets, every year we interview over 100,000 individuals from countries and cultures around the world. In these interviews, we’ve found commonalities among the meanings people feel strongly about, whether we’re studying the adoption of new software in Poland or the purchase of toothbrushes in Florida.
We’ve compiled a list of these meanings, but it is far from exhaustive. We’ve found potentially dozens of types of meaningful experiences and at least as many possible ways to characterize them. What we concentrate on here are 15 of the meanings that emerge most frequently in these interviews and appear to be universal among people’s values. While the relative importance of these meaningful experiences might vary and their interpretation could differ slightly, all cultures seem to recognize their significance. This is good news for businesses, because it means that there is a certain constancy among human needs that transcends the distinctions of culture and language.

(Since none of these meaningful experiences is more or less important than any other, we’ve presented them in alphabetical order)

1. AccomplishmentAchieving goals and making something of oneself; a sense of satisfaction that can result from productivity, focus, talent, or status. American Express has long benefited from transmitting a hint of this meaning to its card holders by establishing itself as a credit card intended for those who are successful. Nike relies on the essence of this meaning for many in its “Just Do It” campaign.

2. BeautyThe appreciation of qualities that give pleasure to the senses or spirit. Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder and thus highly subjective, but our desire for it is ubiquitous. We aspire to beauty in all that surrounds us, from architecture and fine furnishing to clothing and cars. Enormous industries thrive on the promise of beauty stemming from shinier hair, whiter teeth, and clearer skin. Beauty can also be more than mere appearance. For some, it is a sense that something is created “correctly” or efficiently with an elegance of purpose and use. Companies such as Bang & Olufsen audio equipment and Jaguar automobiles distinguish themselves through the beauty of their design.

3. CommunityA sense of unity with others around us and a general connection with other human beings. Religious communities, unions, fraternities, clubs, and sewing circles are all expressions of a desire for belonging. The promise and delivery of community underlies the offerings of several successful organizations including NASCAR with its centralizing focus on car racing and leagues of loyal fans that follow the race circuit, Harley-Davidson motorcycles and their Harley Owners Group (HOG), and Jimmy Buffet with his dedicated Parrotheads. These businesses attract and support user communities who embody specific values tied to their products and services.

4. CreationThe sense of having produced something new and original, and in so doing, to have made a lasting contribution. Besides driving our species to propagate, we enjoy this experience through our hobbies, the way we decorate our home, in telling our stories, and in anything else that reflects our personal choices. Creation is what makes “customizable” seem like a desirable attribute, rather than more work for the buyer, for example, making the salad bar a pleasure rather than a chore.

5. DutyThe willing application of oneself to a responsibil- ity. The military in any country counts on the power of this mean- ing, as do most employers. Duty can also relate to responsibilities to oneself or family, such as reading the daily paper to stay abreast of the news. Commercially, anything regarded as “good for you,” including vitamins, medications, Cross-Your-Heart bras, and cush- ioned insoles relays some sense of duty and the satisfaction it brings.

6. EnlightenmentClear understanding through logic or inspiration. This experience is not limited to those who meditate and fast, it is a core expectation of offerings from Fox News, which promises “fair and balanced” reporting, the Wall Street Journal, which many consider the ultimate authority for business news, and the Sierra Club, which provides perspective on environmental threats and conservation.

7. FreedomThe sense of living without unwanted constraints. This experience often plays tug-of-war with the desire for security; more of one tends to decrease the other. Nevertheless, freedom is enticing, whether it’s freedom from dictators, or in the case of Google, the freedom to quickly search the Web learning and interacting with millions of people and resources.

8. HarmonyThe balanced and pleasing relationship of parts to a whole, whether in nature, society, or an individual. When we seek a work/life balance, we are in pursuit of harmony. Likewise, when we shop at Target for a toaster that matches our mixer, we are in pursuit of harmony. Much of the aesthetic appeal of design depends on our personal desire for the visual experience of harmony.

9. JusticeThe assurance of equitable and unbiased treatment. This is the sense of fairness and equality that underlies our concept of “everyman” or Average Joe. It helps explain the immense popularity of the Taurus and the Camry, the ranch house, Levi jeans, and white cotton T-shirts—all products with a simple, impartial appeal to a very broad audience.

10. OnenessA sense of unity with everything around us. It is what some seek from the practice of spirituality and what others expect from a good tequila. Although we don’t normally think of them as a company, the Grateful Dead sustained its revenues for decades building an experience that connected with its fans’ desire for oneness. Similarly, organizations that connects their members into nature or a broader sense of the world, like the Monterey Bay Aquarium or the United Nations, are capable of evoking a meaning of oneness.

11. RedemptionAtonement or deliverance from past failure or decline. Though this might seem to stem from negative experiences, the impact of the redemptive experience is highly positive. Like community and enlightenment, redemption has a basis in religion, but it also attracts customers to Weight Watchers, Bliss spas, and the grocery store candy aisle. Any sensation that delivers us from a less desirable condition to a more pleasing another one can be redemptive.

12. SecurityThe freedom from worry about loss. This experience has been a cornerstone of civilization but in the U.S. in particular, acquired increased meaning and relevance after 9/11. On the commercial side, the desire for this experience created the insurance business, and it continues to sell a wide range of products from automatic rifles to Depends undergarments to credit cards that offer protection from identity theft.

13. TruthA commitment to honesty and integrity. This experience plays an important role in most personal relationships, but it also is a key component of companies like Whole Foods, Volkswagen, and Newman’s Own, all of which portray themselves as simple, upright, and candid.

14. ValidationThe recognition of oneself as a valued individual worthy of respect. Every externally branded piece of clothing counts on the attraction of this meaningful experience whether it’s Ralph Lauren Polo or Old Navy, as does Mercedes Benz, the Four Seasons hotel chain, and any other brand with status identification as a core value. 15. WonderAwe in the presence of a creation beyond one’s understanding. While this might sound mystical and unattainable, consider the wonder that Las Vegas hotels create simply through plaster and lights. Disney has been a master of this experience for decades, and technology companies routinely evoke awe as they enable their users to do what seemed impossible the year before.

http://www.makingmeaning.org/meanings.html

Revealing Ones Self

A friend forwarded this to me. It comes from her weekly yoga emails.

Revealing the Self

One of the greatest causes of feeling disconnected to others is the belief that we need to hide some part of our personality. This belief is based on the fearthat if we are "revealed", we will be rejected. What we don't realize is that the act of revealing ourselves, and our true nature, is what creates strong bondsbetween "ourselves" and "others".

It is ironic but not suprising that what we commonly try to stuff inside or hide are the very things that we tend to share - the things that make us human. Our anger (or anxiety or depression), our desires, our ambitions, our vulnerabilities, our imperfections, our bad habits, and our background -including experiences or "mistakes" that have made us who we are. We think it is safer to project an image to others. We think that others need this image to like us, approve of us, or respect us. The image ends up being abarrier to connection.

People do not always see what is behind the barrier(although they often do). But they can see and feel the barrier - and that is enough. One of the greatest paths to connection is to let yourself be fully seen and known. Revealing ourselves does not shield us from the judgments of others. But it is important to realize that people who judge you for revealing yourself were judging you already.

There is no true safety is staying hidden. All it does is layer on the punishment of self-judgment and isolation. Not everyone in the world needs to know every aspect of yourself. But there is no aspect of yourself that should be hidden from everyone in your life. There is no aspect of yourself that is "unacceptable". There is no aspect of yourself thatcannot create a connection to others with shared experiences, shared challenges,and shared goals.

The PracticeThis week, I invite you to practice svadhyaya (self-reflection) - one of the temperamentally of yoga ethics, as described in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. A good timeto practice self-reflection is after a meditation or asana practice. It is important to create a sense of physical openness and mental clarity - otherwise,self-reflection can be a way to reinforce old beliefs about ourselves rather than generating new insight.

I'd like to suggest that you do any practice that makes you feel relaxed and"clear". It could be as simple as noticing your breath in a relaxed or seatedposition for a few minutes. It could be any sequence of postures, self-guided orwith guidance (from a CD, DVD, book, etc.). If you have trouble starting a home practice but attend yoga classes, you can even do the following reflection in agroup yoga class, in savasana or a final seated meditation.

The Reflection, Ask yourself: What part of yourself do you keep compartmentalized? What side of yourself do you think you need to hide - from friends, co-workers, family, yourchildren, your neighbors, or anyone? Self-reflection should not be an intenselyintellectual process. Don't over-analyze yourself. Simply create the conditionsfor insight (through a yoga practice) and then sit with the question. Other waysto ask this question might be, "What one thing would I not tell anyone aboutmyself?" or "What image do I try I try to present to others - how do I want themto perceive me?"ParticipateIf you want to let yourself be more fully known, consider revealing this side ofyourself on our discussion board. You can take a baby step first - just naming this part of yourself ("my emotions" or "my habit of _______"), with or without any explanation or long story. Simply owning it, and sharing it. If you see something in another person's post that you recognize as part of yourself, let that person know - a simple, "me, too".

An important part of this practice is realizing how much more connected your feel to a person when they reveal something human about themselves. When you see this, it becomes easier to let down your own barrier.