I am inspired by the energy of Lake Trail Middle this year in Courtenay. I had the pleasure of speaking with them about making a lifestyle shift to change the world. The school is now buzzing with ideas to reduce solid waste in the school, control frivolous spending habits and make the hallways a happier place to be with free hug campaigns.
I was invited by counselor Heather Riedle and principal Laurie Carpenter to deliver three presentations that would give me time with every student in the school throughout the day. The students and staff were amazing and that filled me with incredible amounts of energy. My goals for the day were to help kids understand the coercive world of marketing, engage their critical thinking skills to interpret messages behind powerful brand campaigns and open a road to boost their individual self confidence by redefining their own individual definitions of success. Reducing... eliminating solid waste is my mission and there is a direct relationship between purchasing and self-confidence. Creating a strong identity is easy if you take a break from buying more than you need.
I spoke of my own experiences to hundreds of kids. I have a terrible time wrestling with a shoe fetish. That's right, shoes. My situation started early when Micheal Jordan unknowingly blew my mind with his high flying domination in his second dunk contest. Well, he only beat Dominique Wilkins by 2 points for the win but I was very impressed. I wanted to "be like Mike" and "just do it," because Mike was a somebody and I wanted to be a somebody too. "It's the shoes" and they were "banned by the NBA." After months of brainwashing I staged a full fledged begging and pleading campaign on my loving parents. They eventually bought me a pair of Air Jordan Generation 3's for my birthday and I never looked back.
I was invited by counselor Heather Riedle and principal Laurie Carpenter to deliver three presentations that would give me time with every student in the school throughout the day. The students and staff were amazing and that filled me with incredible amounts of energy. My goals for the day were to help kids understand the coercive world of marketing, engage their critical thinking skills to interpret messages behind powerful brand campaigns and open a road to boost their individual self confidence by redefining their own individual definitions of success. Reducing... eliminating solid waste is my mission and there is a direct relationship between purchasing and self-confidence. Creating a strong identity is easy if you take a break from buying more than you need.
I spoke of my own experiences to hundreds of kids. I have a terrible time wrestling with a shoe fetish. That's right, shoes. My situation started early when Micheal Jordan unknowingly blew my mind with his high flying domination in his second dunk contest. Well, he only beat Dominique Wilkins by 2 points for the win but I was very impressed. I wanted to "be like Mike" and "just do it," because Mike was a somebody and I wanted to be a somebody too. "It's the shoes" and they were "banned by the NBA." After months of brainwashing I staged a full fledged begging and pleading campaign on my loving parents. They eventually bought me a pair of Air Jordan Generation 3's for my birthday and I never looked back.
By the time I had hit high school I was rolling three pairs of basketball shoes in any given month. I lived in Europe when I was 16 and I was shocked to see a sticker price of $500 on a pair of Jordan's. Knowing that made me feel like a superior human being just wearing them - I was elite - I was a somebody - people wanted to be me now - I was better than any European kid and most North Americans. What? Who are you? What kind of marketing poison have you been drinking Zac? I was a jerk.
Obviously no person is more valuable than another. The false sense of self that I felt and pushed on other people was destructive to my character and everyone around me. My shoe fetish was also making my world a horrible place to be. If I wasn't buying the latest pair of Jordan's or keeping them spotless, then I was worthless. When you sink your identity into material goods, no matter what they are, then you better be prepared to have a tattered, old, lost and broken identity. Things come and go in our lives. We out grow shoes and we all have smelly feet at the end of the day no matter what shoes we wear. Just keep it real and be yourself - it's free.
When I came to grips with my shoe fetish my world started to improve, my confidence became stable and elevated; people supported me more than ever. I was turning into a nice person that was secure and more fun to be around because I didn't take myself so seriously. I began living from a place that started with me - not a new pair of leather and plastic kicks. After a year of conscious effort I began a long journey of adventure, self improvement and positive actions that changed my world for the better.
Be more than the shoes on your feet and kick your buying habits to stop creating waste. To hear the end of this powerful story, or request a customized presentation that fits your lesson objectives involving solid waste reduction or water efficiency please contact me and book your free Power Of R presentation today (for SD71 and SD72 only).
Obviously no person is more valuable than another. The false sense of self that I felt and pushed on other people was destructive to my character and everyone around me. My shoe fetish was also making my world a horrible place to be. If I wasn't buying the latest pair of Jordan's or keeping them spotless, then I was worthless. When you sink your identity into material goods, no matter what they are, then you better be prepared to have a tattered, old, lost and broken identity. Things come and go in our lives. We out grow shoes and we all have smelly feet at the end of the day no matter what shoes we wear. Just keep it real and be yourself - it's free.
When I came to grips with my shoe fetish my world started to improve, my confidence became stable and elevated; people supported me more than ever. I was turning into a nice person that was secure and more fun to be around because I didn't take myself so seriously. I began living from a place that started with me - not a new pair of leather and plastic kicks. After a year of conscious effort I began a long journey of adventure, self improvement and positive actions that changed my world for the better.
Be more than the shoes on your feet and kick your buying habits to stop creating waste. To hear the end of this powerful story, or request a customized presentation that fits your lesson objectives involving solid waste reduction or water efficiency please contact me and book your free Power Of R presentation today (for SD71 and SD72 only).
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