Gratitude: Changing the Future [part 3 of 3]
The hunger for change among Americans goes beyond cooking and changes in shopping behavior. There is a thirst for long-term, sizable change both in society and the individual.
Only 18% of Navigating to a New Normal respondents want to return to the way things were in 2019. An overwhelming number, 72%, want some degree of change in their life when the events of 2020 come to a close.
The macro-trend that has emerged in the data is a focus on gratitude. Appreciating what they have was the most frequently cited by those seeking change. The expressions of gratitude appear focused on what is around you today. People are more present in this moment of their lives than in the past. It has forced a reckoning of what people value and want to achieve when given a choice.
This is part 3 of our 3-part share-out of Chapter 7 of Navigating to a New Normal.
Speaking Up
Social injustice, prejudice and discrimination are nothing new in the United States. Yet 2020 brought an intense focus on these issues, particularly systemic racism and police brutality. With fewer distractions due to the pandemic, we couldn’t help but watch in horror as George Floyd died under the bent knee of a police officer. And without those distractions, we were able to think more deeply on what we were witnessing and reflect on how that event reflected back on us as a society.
Many of us decided enough was enough, it was time to speak up. In fact, 49% of people seeking change indicated they want to speak up more on topics important to them. That rises to 55% for people looking to change some or a significant portion of their life post-2020.
Speaking up is not just about speaking out. It’s about having tolerance and being willing to learn about a range of topics, from racism and prejudice to mental health and climate issues.
IMPLICATION:
Employees as well as your consumers are looking for action, not just empty words on matters of inequality. Companies that say what they will do and then do it are going to not only help make the world a better place, they will win the hearts and minds of employees and customers while doing it. That’s a true win-win.
Refreshing My Life Plans
Who people are and how they live their life is under review this year.
Changes in this big picture re-assessment are focused around gratitude and appreciation of the simpler things in life.
Career isn’t as big a driver for people when they can find a happier existence living where they want to live and not having the “big corporate job”. Of those looking to completely change their life, 40% indicated furthering their education will play a role.
Anticipate an increase in spirituality as over half (51%) of respondents indicate they want to engage more in their belief in a Higher Power.
And while many people today claim to get their news from Facebook, that may shift as 47% want less engagement with their social media, yet 61% want to stay more involved in current events.
On the home front, among those looking to completely change their life, 51% of men want to expand their families. Unfortunately, women aren’t feeling the same way with only 20% indicating that’s a direction they’d like to take.
Another delicate conversation to have: 48% of men looking to completely change their life want to change their relationship status. This compares to only 22% of women. And among the total respondents seeking some form of change, 40% of parents with kids under 18 are looking to change their relationship status.
We know from past data in Navigating to a New Normal that parents with kids under 18 are being disproportionately impacted by the pandemic compared to other groups. It would appear to be impacting their relationships as well.
IMPLICATION:
How can your business help your employees as well as your customers adapt to their new life plans? What can you do to support education goals? Faith and spirituality are built on a foundation of gratitude. How might that impact your consumers? What will the relationship tensions mean for the future of family structures?
Changing the Future
We are at the beginning of a significant shift in how people approach and live their lives every day.
Gratitude and appreciation of the moment is working to help us find a new speed limit for our day to day life. And reflection on attitudes and behaviors of our past, as well as of society’s, is bringing about an awareness that we can, and must, do better.
IMPLICATION:
If people are looking to be better versions of themselves, how can you help them in a meaningful way? How can gratitude show up in your organization and with your brand?
Now What?
It feels like the mid-late 90s all over again when signs of authenticity were starting to show up in our culture. Farmers markets were starting to spring up in urban locations. How things were made began to take on more importance to consumers. It would take several more years before authenticity would be recognized in the marketplace and a few years after that before it started to disrupt tried and true categories.
This macro trend is just taking root. A seed germinated by a combination of all the things that 2020 has brought, along with a disruption of what is authentically true in our post-truth America. We’re becoming more grateful for what we have and the moments that we have.
The pandemic and recession are not going away any time soon. That means more time without distractions. More time to reflect. More time to be grateful for what we do have.
The longer we stay in this current state, the more these thoughts of gratitude will take hold and new habits will form. The accepted wisdom is that it takes 66 days for a new habit to form, although studies show it can be as fast as 18 and as long as 254. We’re well over 200 days since the start of the pandemic in the United States. It could be another 300 days before ‘normal’ truly returns. That’s a lot of gratitude and a lot of new behaviors that will lock into habits.
The ‘wave’ of the next macro trend is forming and is now moving toward us. Brands that are adept at catching the wave will start paddling out to meet gratitude before the wave breaks. Those are the businesses that know it’s better to ride the wave than to be caught up in its disruptive churn. Where does your brand sit?
Navigating to a New Normalcontinues. We invite you to join us in exploring the future and making sense of the world as it’s changing around us. Surf’s up!
Catch up on the rest of Chapter 7. Part 1 of Chapter 7 is available here. Part 2 of Chapter 7 is available here.
You might also like to catch up on earlier chapters of Navigating to a New Normal.
Chapter 1: Welcome to the Bottom of Maslow’s Hierarchy
Chapter 2: A Walk through the Uncanny Valley
Chapter 3: Now. Next. Future. (WEBINAR)
Chapter 4: The Scary, Risky Evolutionary Need to Connect
Chapter 5: Listening: Black Lives Matter
Chapter 6: Are We There Yet? Finding Our Way to Normal (VIDEO of Presentation)
