This week, we are seeing rewards.
With mass media cranking out security threats and social media perpetuating them, I have taken a step back to watch from a observer’s perspective to see if I can identify any common themes in the messaging.
And I did.
Fear is seeping into all of our choices. In the race to make profits, companies play on our desire to fit in, belong, be accepted and feel love. In the most remarkable of these campaigns, Black Friday advertising overshadows all thoughts of giving thanks with promises of the ultimate big bargain. The underlying message is something like don’t miss out on this once-a-year opportunity or we might not afford to buy stuff for everyone on our list and they might not love us any more.
December has not yet arrived and the actual holiday is more than a month away.
Companies think of nothing more than reaching annual sales targets in their casual promotion of addiction. Binge is the new buzz as we are encouraged to eat and drink and shop and party away the fears planted by businesses in ads around the news to sell us more of the stuff we consume.
Even holistic businesses get caught in the trap of fear-based messaging in their use of traditional ad copy to promote anti-aging, anti-cancer and gluten-free everything whether we are allergic or not. Food bullies challenge our diet choices. Gurus promise shortcuts to inner peace, happiness and love in one brief seminar. Eco-friendly products ease our conscience in a modern lifestyle that is anything but.
We are urged to save the planet or attain somebody else’s ideal goal of healthy or follow the latest sustainability trends. A trend is, by definition, unsustainable. It is not meant to last. Marketers love trends because they make it easier to sell new stuff using technology as the latest tool in their arsenal to manipulate them, narrowing our options as a result. Our connected world is getting smaller with sales tracking designed to give us more of what we want regardless of what is best. Marketing by numbers creates the ultimate popularity contest and the products behind the campaigns will win every time because we all share the same fears.
Stepping out of this reality and creating a new one requires risk.
People are willing to take risks for what they believe in. Mothers do it all the time when they put their own bodies through amazing transformations to create new life. Men were traditionally more likely to push physical barriers with extreme activities but women are stepping into this arena as well. People everywhere risk rejection by standing up, finding their voice and speaking their truth in the face of unspeakable cultural taboos and unconsciously agreed social norms. The road less travelled can lead to the most unusual places. While what we fear most is change, uncertainty most effectively holds us back.
I took a huge risk recently and am now enjoying the rewards.
Having started the weekly newsletter in 2001 with my personal list of 800 email addresses, I have added subscribers over the years on request but not asked them to confirm. Moving forward, it is important everyone on the list is actively interested in conscious choices.
To stay true to this objective, I took a leap of faith last month and started a new mailing list from scratch, asking everyone to re-confirm their interest and rebuilding the list one by one without incentives or prizes — just a weekly email from me.
While it is not a legal requirement to re-confirm the entire mailing list, I value personal privacy, am cautious about big data and believe strongly in ethical publishing. I manage my list privately in order to ensure no data is available to third party publishers who make their profits by trolling the internet collecting information to sell to advertisers and perpetuate trends that will continue to narrow our choices.
Over a third of the list has re-joined and many have added kind words in response to my request. The resulting list is smaller but the open rate is reaching 40% in an industry where the standard is 2%. I feel so much better knowing that everyone on the list has specifically asked to be. I no longer worry when someone un-subscribes — I am grateful to know they are not my audience so I don’t have to try and please them. It is a habit I am making every effort to break.
This single risk has changed my perspective entirely and had I not taken it, I would not have realized how much I was trying to please everyone. I have reconnected with my intention to build a real list of interested readers actively pursuing conscious everyday choices. It has been a huge amount of work yet the rewards are immense. When the replies come in, I get as excited about a no as a yes.
As we close in on the last month of 2015, I continue to reflect on how my fears get in the way of being true to myself.
What reward are you willing to risk?
Naturally,
Founder & Publisher
www.heartbeat.com.hk
natural life in the fast lane
Listen to your own heartbeat.
“There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Anaïs Nin
Meet our Business Members
Visit our Member Directory and for authentic products, services and programs … naturally.
A Conscious Celebration
Join us for a casual evening gathering in Central on Dec 10
The season is upon us. We have begun accepting party invitations, making shopping lists and preparing to host family and friends in celebration of our love and connection. Many travel plans were arranged many months ago and many more are in the works. We invite you to consider some options that will add value to every choice you make as we wind up another year and make preparations for the next. With the a growing awareness of the positive contribution we can make with every purchase we make, we will host heartbeat members who will share their wealth of experience and knowledge about what goes into preparing for a conscious holiday. Gain insights, tips and practical ideas for celebrations that last a lifetime.
RSVP : events@heartbeat.com.hk | TEL : +852 6628 6153 – Kinzie
The Art of Ayurveda
Learn to cook and eat for wellness
Cooking and sharing from the heart, Lakshmi Harilela will teach Ayurvedic constitution (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) and provide an analysis of your individual body type in this morning workshop at SpiceBox Organics where you will learn the fundamentals of cooking for each dosha and you you can use spices to antidote the doshic effect. Participants will receive a special discount from SpiceBox Organics on purchases made on the day. Ayurveda is an ancient medical practice uniting physical and mental with personality to where doctors promote wellness with an emphasis on balance and a personalized program of exercise, yoga, meditation and diet arising from an awareness of our own natural cycles. The workshop will be held on Saturday 5 December 10:30am-12:30pm and tickets are HK$350.
QUICK LINK : The Art of Ayurveda
RSVP : SpiceBox Organics | T: +852 2559 9887 | E: info@spiceboxorganics.com
Rock My Soul
Movement Meditation Friday Nights in Wan Chai
Join Carsten Holz in an Open Floor ecstatic dance / movement meditation. Be gently guided through improvisational exploration using core movement principles. We move through a cycle of motion weaving our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual selves into a unified embodied whole. Release the dancer that lives in every body – no matter the shape, size, age, limitations and experience in a relaxed exploration of mind, body and spirit. An academic who enjoys balance, Carsten has been dancing and teaching movement for many years. All levels of experience are welcome Friday nights from November 6 to December 4 by donation.
QUICK LINK : Rock My Soul
CONTACT : Carsten Holz| T: +852 5261 6046 | E: carstenholz@gmail.com
Personal Membership
Clean, green, inspired, sustainable, organic benefits … naturally
HK heartbeat is Hong Kong’s first and only natural living community sharing fresh content and local connections since 2001. Our vibrant personal and business network has hundreds of active members making conscious everyday choices and sharing with their friends. Times have changed since we started and it is getting even easier because now we are connected on social media. Discover clean, green, healthy products, services and programs. Get fresh weekly and stay in touch with what’s new and what’s on. Get a little help from the Natural Concierge to find what you’re looking for. Enjoy private offers from our business members and join us at tastings and talks and workshops where you will meet people who share your interest in all things natural.
QUICK LINK : Personal Membership
CONTACT : Kinzie
TEL : +852 6628 6253
EMAIL : getfresh@heartbeat.com.hk
Events in Hong Kong this week
Featured event listings include a link to details – submit your event
23 (3:30-5:30pm) DIY Natural Cleaning Products | contact organizer
23 (5-7pm) Japanese Stretching Workshop | Shine Body & Soul Healing Centre
23 (7-9pm) The Emotional Impact of Boarding School | Shakti Healing Circle
24 (10am-12pm) Stretching Workshop | Shine Body & Soul Healing Centre
24 (12:30-1:30pm) Tension to Innovation with Mindfulness | contact organizer
24 (7-10pm) Unconditional Love Heals | Richard Wickes
24 (8-10pm) Indian Drum & Dance Party | Drum Jam
24-26 Smart Mobility in Smart City | CleanTuesday
25 (7-9pm) Trigger Point Secrets | The Sanctuary
25 (7-10pm) Slow Wine and NOM | Slow Food
25 (4-10pm) Bamboa Christmas Sale Party | Bamboa Home
25 (10:30pm-1:30am) Late Night Jam | contact organizer
25 (6:45-8:50pm) How to Change the World (documentary) | Asia Society
25 (7:30-9:30pm) Dinner at Sangeeta | Meat Free Hong Kong
26 (6:30-8pm) Ajna Light Party | SOL Wellness
26 1-day Advanced Mindfulness Retreat | Hong Kong Insight Meditation Society
27 (7-8pm) Yin Restorative Yoga | Luxe Nova Lifestyle Studio
27 (8-10pm) Rock My Soul – Movement Meditation | Carsten Holz
27 (8pm) Noble the Movie | Christina Noble Children’s Foundation
27-29 (9:30am-5:30pm) Asia Playback Theatre Conference | contact organizer
27 (10am-1pm) Vitality Retreat | Pranayum
27-29 Clockenflap 2015 | Clockenflap
28 (12-6pm) Winter Market | Luxe Nova Lifestyle Studio
28 (12:30-4pm) Raw Living Food Workshop | Kaldora Lee
28 (1pm) Letting Go – Being Free | Anisa Abdoolcarim
28 (5-8pm) Shamanic Sacred Cacao Ceremony | Kaldora Lee
28 (7-10pm) Mandala with Intention | Luxe Nova Lifestyle Studio
28-29 (10am-5pm) Draco Dragon Healing System | Michelle Harris
28-29 (10am-5pm) All Love Workshop | The Sanctuary
28-29 (10am-7pm) Maker Faire 2015 | contact organizer
29 (10am-4:30pm) Harbourfront Bike Ride | HK Cycling Alliance
29 (2:30-3:30pm) New Publics and Public Spaces | contact organizer
29 (3pm) Global Climate Change March | Clean Air Network
29 (5-8pm) Holistic Women’s Wellness | The Healing Centre of Hong Kong
29 (3pm) Global Climate Change March | Clean Air Network
29 1-day Mindfulness Retreat | Hong Kong Insight Meditation Society
30 (6:30-8pm) Biotherapy | SOL Wellness
Coming up
Dec 5 The Art of Ayurveda
Dec 5 Natural Artisan Burgundy Wine Tasting
Dec 7-8 Hong Kong, China & the World Workshop
Submit your event by Friday for next Tuesday’s newsletter
Fresh directory listings
Our Natural Concierge is here to help you find what you’re looking for.
Oxyvital – Medical air quality solutions to naturally purify indoor air to WHO standards > details
Red Doors – Complementary practices serving a community of practitioners > details
i-Detox Wellness Centre – Wellness education centre, health food shop and consultancy > details
The Yoga Room – Hatha, Ashtanga, yoga kids, prenatal, yin, pilates and meditation > details
Maya Café – Mediterranean style vegetarian, vegan and raw food > details
Lara Morbey – Past Life Regression Therapy; Private sessions and group workshops > details
Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary & Holistic Spa – Integrating healing therapies from East and West > details
Register for a listing | Connect with our business members
Fresh content and connections for conscious everyday choices
Hong Kong’s first natural network has connected thousands of individuals, businesses and organizations since we launched in 2001, sharing fresh content and authentic connections for clean, green, healthy living products, services and programs. With everything from acupuncture to zero-waste solutions, our members have everything you’re looking for — even when you’re not sure what you’re looking for — chemical-free health and beauty, lifestyle services, whole food, sustainable fashion, eco-style, green gadgets and more … naturally.
Photo by Kinzie
