Happiness

by Danny Summers

The search for happiness is as old as time itself. It's easy to see how some people search for their happiness in the way they spend their time, attention, and of course their money.

In last week's blog message from Sid Raisch titled SHIFTing, Sid referenced a video that Tom Kegley shared with us. It is an insightful presentation by J. Walker Smith, a marketing and futures expert with the international market research and consulting firm, Kantar. During this 34-minute presentation, Walker includes the highlights from an Oracle survey results released last July. Here's the Report headline and some noted data:

Global Report:
45% of People Have Not Felt True Happiness for More Than Two Years.

The Happiness Report includes insights from more than 12,000 consumers and business leaders across 14 countries. Here are just a few of the data points the survey includes:

• People are searching for happiness in new ways and are willing to pay a premium
  It has been more than two years since many people last felt true happiness and they are searching for ways to be happy again, no matter the cost.
• 45 percent of people have not felt true happiness for more than two years and 25 percent don’t know or have forgotten, what it means to feel truly happy.
• 88 percent are looking for new experiences to make them smile and laugh. People are prioritizing health (80 percent), personal connections (79 percent), and experiences (53 percent) to gain happiness.
• More than half (53 percent) wish money could buy happiness, with 78 percent willing to pay a premium for true happiness.
• 89 percent attempted to find happiness in online shopping during the pandemic and while 47 percent said that receiving packages made them happy, 12 percent struggled to remember the purchases they had made online.

These are some disturbing statistics, but not surprising. A portion of Walker's presentation earlier pointed to a growing need to have what he called "Human" experiences. This was positioned to be in contrast to the isolation and reliance on technologies during the COVID shutdowns. The need to have real human interaction was evident.

At the same time, Garden Centers across the country saw an outpouring of interest and new customers (guests) who wanted and needed what we now call their own Nature Fix!

It is now easy to see how all this fits together in a pretty clear picture. For many of us, our faith is what helps satisfy the need for happiness. And for many, the interaction with nature helps them get closer to satisfying the need and offers a more nurturing feel, especially during stressful or traumatic times.

The image above I chose for this blog message suggests Happiness... in the Garden could be an effective one. Happiness... with Your Plants, or Happiness... with Your Flowers, or many others revolving around what your Center provides can be effective messages as well.

Do you remember we have heard multiple Centers saying their Guests simply need to spend time in their Garden Center or Greenhouse to help make them feel better... and Happy! That is very powerful.

I offer this challenge to you and your team... How can you share the Happiness of the Garden with your Guests? How can you create a Happy Zone in your Center where your Guests can sit to soak up some happiness and enjoy the Nature Fix you offer? And how can this experience encourage them to create their own Happy Zone at home? Your answers and actions can be very important for everyone.

Happy Sharing!