Saigon

Coming from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) to Mekong you can’t help but to notice the extraordinary socio-economic differences.
I know there are incredible inequities in every country - I have seen some of Eastern Europe, Africa, India and just some of South America.
What struck me on this recent study trip to Vietnam was the incredible and scary differences between the rich and the poor, and the rising influence of America, China, Japan and Korea on a country that has spent almost its entire history being occupied by these same nations.
Australians are well-liked in Saigon. I don't think we are as kind to each other as the Vietnamese though. I was to be seduced by the beauty, kindness and helpfulness of the Vietnamese.
When I was sick one day, total strangers came to my aid with peppermint oil and massages – not wanting nor expecting a penny in return.
On the two hour drive from Saigon to Mekong the landscape is mostly rice paddies, workers looking like they are in a set from Apocalypse Now.
The real shock awaits me at Mekong. Four people (totally for my trip alone) took me on a tour up the Mekong Delta and along the narrow rivers where the napalm had destroyed entire villages and wiped out scores of families, but now is lush and overgrown again. The cost for 4 people, a boat and a return trip from Saigon - $8million Vietnam Dollars or around $90 Australian. A fellow traveller told me I should have bargained them down. I just couldn't bring myself to do so.
The villagers live in dirt, literally. They sell whatever they can find; they scrounge around to make enough to feed their families one meal at a time.
This is a communist country, and yet the divide between city and country people is so sharp and marked.
These dirt-poor peasants in Mekong earn an average of the equivalent of $300-500 a year (a year!) whereas in Saigon they can earn twice as much - $1,000 a year if they are lucky.
There is no public education, so about 70% of the population is poorly educated, if at all.
There is no public health, and the government has cracked down on people who go to hospital and run away before the bill is presented.
My Mekong guide, a history professor, had an experience recently. His daughter-in-law was due to give birth, so he went with her to the hospital. The hospital demanded $1million Vietnam Dollars up front. This is about $45 Australian dollars. He couldn’t pay. He tried to borrow it, his friends couldn’t help him, so finally she gave birth at home with just the family to care for her and the infant.
He was very angry with the government about this. He offered his security card and driver licence but these were not enough as security
Given all this hardship, I expected a bitter and unhappy population. On the contrary – they are friendly, kind and gentle. They exude kindness.
Back in Saigon I went to a Sunday buffet at the hotel. It was packed with wealthy local families and many expats. The expats were fat (I am a big man, but they outclassed me by at least double), the locals were thin, but the atmosphere was riotous. The buffet include all the Moet you could drink, French wines and German beers included.
The feast was incredible. It would have been impossible to taste just a tiny bit of everything available. And there outside the window sat the beggars and the street vendors trying to make a dollar for tonight’s meal.
Finally, I took a day tour of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), to see the effects of centuries of occupation.
China appears to have had the biggest positive influence, and America the biggest negative one. While they want tourism to save the economy, they not-so-privately tell us they don’t like Americans because of the war.
The war of the 1950’s to 70’s is living on in the memories of anyone over forty, and the Vietnamese regard it as yet another invasion of their country – this time by the Americans. I am glad they don’t remember we were there as well.
The streets of Saigon are terrifying. Imagine a sea of motor scooters coming straight at you, but you are told not to run, but walk slowly and consistently, and they flow around you. It’s true. Red lights mean nothing, just walk slowly.
I can recommend it to everyone.

Mild to Serious Obsessive-compulsive disorders can lead to retail happiness.

Compulsive Buying Disorder (CBD) is characterized by excessive shopping cognitions and buying behaviour that leads to distress or impairment.

Work by DW Black in 2007 found that, worldwide, this disorder has a lifetime prevalence of around 6% of any western population

Most people studied clinically are women (approximately 80%), though this gender difference may be just because researchers think more women shop than men. Subjects with CBD report a preoccupation with shopping, pre-purchase tension or anxiety, and a sense of relief following the purchase.

CBD is associated with significant other psychological issues, particularly mood and anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, eating disorders, and other disorders of impulse control.

The majority of people with CBD appear to meet criteria for other diagnosable disorders, although there is no special "shopping" personality listed.

Compulsive shopping tends to run in families, and these families are quite often associated with mood and substance use disorders. There are no standard treatments.

It is a fact that people can be helped by the use of antidepressants. People who have obsessive-compulsive shopping disorder or CBD have responded well through the use of antidepressants. By “well” we mean that that they have been able to control their CBD.

So, that trip to the mall to buy a new top or a jumper you have had your eye on for some time might by symptomatic of an obsession. (Most likely not, but if frequent, then it may be so).

And as with any obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), there are no racial, financial, social or gender differences. Someone as wealthy as a media mogul or as poor as an unskilled factory worker can experience OCD.

It is the same for people who shop frequently.

The mere fact that there are even terms for this: Obsessive Shopping Disorder or Compulsive Buying Disorder indicates such a disorder exists.

Obviously budgets prevail sometimes

Whilst there is significant empirical evidence for this disorder, anecdotally we have all witnessed, as well as heard many stories about, people who, despite a recession and often a shortage of personal finances are determined to shop for the latest fashion or trend.

There are many women who, despite being far from well off, will never wear last season's fashion. They have to buy the latest season's fashion no matter what.

Think of several people who cannot live without the latest in computer technology, and are obsessive about buying even before the latest products are out, by ordering ahead.

CBD Exists With High and Low Ticket Items

Interviews with 100 car dealers (Benchmark Research 2010) revealed that there was an average 6% of new car buyers who had to own the latest in certain brands of motor cars, despite the clear knowledge that they will lose a small fortune on the trade-in. in fact, many had lost huge sums of money over five or more trade-ins.

The car dealers love these customers, foster their CBD by taking them on special “drive days” and bombarding them with literature about the next models to appear in Europe.

The same applies to smaller ticket items as well. Department store and boutiques send out pre-sale offers to frequent shoppers, invite them to viewings of next year’s fashions and so on.

Surely it’s all just “marketing”? But it could also be catering to people with a disorder  they need to recognize and often need to control.

Procrastination

Procrastination

Procrastination is opportunity's assassin.  ~Victor Kiam

We all put things off from time to time. We procrastinate.

However, chronic procrastination is akin to a mental illness.

In fact it is a sort of mental illness, and like many others, is largely driven by low self-esteem.

Here‘s how it seems to operate: imagine that you feel that whatever task you have to complete is a difficult one. You have to focus on it for a considerable period.

Now imagine you are terrified that you will not do a good enough job of that task. Add to that a dreadful fear of failure (“What if it’s not good enough?” ; “What if I am not good enough?”).

Further, top up the emotions with a strong desire to make the outcome perfect, and you have a very frightening combination of feelings that force you to pause before you start the project.

And you pause for a long time. You put off dealing with the issue by busying yourself with minor tasks.

We All Procrastinate

Surveys have shown that over 90% of us procrastinate from time to time. However, there are about 20% of us who chronically or habitually procrastinate because we are terrified of failure, or cannot believe we will make a perfect job of the task. Many procrastinators are perfectionists.

Debilitation

Oddly, in society we accept procrastination as just a minor issue, but it is, in fact, a very serious issue for those who chronically procrastinate. It is a fear, and like any other major fear, it can be debilitating and very destructive for the people who suffer from this illness.

Some people are actually unable to function at all because they are so fearful of failure.

Commencing A Project or Task Can Be Daunting

Fear of failure is almost as powerful as fear of success within these people – “I am not worthy of success” and “I will always fail” are the catch-cries of procrastinators.

These are deeply seated psychological drivers of their procrastinating behaviour. The fear can be almost palpable for these people. They are terrified to begin a project or task, and will do almost anything to put it off.

It has often been thought that people who procrastinate are just lazy. But this is not the case. They are fearful of starting something they might not complete perfectly.

Much has been written about procrastination and its links with ADHD, and almost certainly there are associations there, however, procrastination is not the exclusive domain of attention deficit sufferers.

Characteristics of procrastinators are outbursts of anger; shouting and feelings of being dejected are frequent. Feelings of worthlessness, potential failure, rejection and internalised grief at loss of jobs, future potential and “what could have been” prevail.

Causes of Low Self Esteem

It’s all well and good to pass off problems of procrastination as “low self-esteem”, but the root causes of low self-esteem must be examined here.

In short, low self-esteem is a very dysfunctional state for the people who suffer from it. It appears that this state is developed from childhood, and persists throughout adulthood.

People with low self-esteem generally approach life from a negative point of view. In fact, people unable to cope with this often commit suicide as a result. Quite often these people will become aggressive, commit crimes, verbally (and sometimes physically) attack other people. 

In teenagers, delinquency and low self-esteem are closely related. Bullies at school are generally found to suffer from low self-esteem.

Most people with low self-esteem have had an early childhood without much affection from parents, and have been told frequently that they are no good, failures headed for an unsuccessful future.

Child abuse, parental unemployment and/or alcoholism are also causal factors. In fact, anything to do with the creation of negative outlooks will often lead to low self-esteem in a child.

Some Ways Of Dealing With Procrastination

Start the project! No matter how bad you start it, at the very least try to put pen to paper, or begin the task even if it’s not perfect. You can always go over it many times to make changes.

Try not to vacuum the floor instead, before you start. Just do anything at all towards the project, and you can say you have started. Try not to worry about the outcome at this early stage. A start is good.

 Always try to be around positive people, avoid negative people, and never try to overcome the feelings without seeking help from a friend or professional.

Stop seeing negative people as often, remember it’s your life we are talking about here.

Always seek positive environments, and avoid negative ones. Walk away from negative situations wherever possible.

Keep a diary or journal of feelings; try to identify what makes you feel negative and situations/ people that help you feel positive.

Reward yourself for every hour you put into a project: go for a walk; buy an ice=cream; go to the movies etc.

Try to obtain a copy of a remarkable book that will help you if you are a chronic procrastinator: “Worrier’s Guide To Overcoming Procrastination: Breaking Free From Anxiety That Holds You Back” written by Pamela Wiegartz & Kevin Gyoerkoe, New Harbinger Publications 2011 Price $24.26.

Part 2: Australians

Part 2 of a Multi-Part Analysis of Some Australian Data

The following information is taken largely from ABS data and

projections.

Often I am asked what the implications for a specific business

might be.

The only way to respond is to take each point and work it through

individually for a brand, product or service individually.

However, every brand, product and service will be effected by

these changes, some dramatically.

Population Changes

If birth-rate and immigration continue at present levels, according

to the ABS projections, Australia will be in population decline by

2050.

Until then, our population will rise by around 30% - to 26 million. 

In comparison, the world’s will rise by around 70%.

By that time, Indonesia, already 10 times our size, will be 12

times. Malaysia, our size now, will be double. 

The Greying of Australia

The Australian population is ageing quickly. The current median

age in Australia is 36 year.

In 20 years it will be 41 years of age!

In 50 years 25% of Australians will be aged over 65 years,

whereas that number is at 14% right now.

The population under 14 years will decline from 21% today to

15% in 2050.

Living Longer

We will live longer. The next generation might all live beyond 100

years of age.

Right now males live to 76 and females to 81 years.

Compare this with the life expectancy in the ACT - males 78 and

females 87 years.

Notably, the Northern territory life expectancy levels are

significantly lower - males 69 and females 75 years.

When you separate the indigenous figures from these the

numbers are shocking.

Fertility Rates

In the 1960's the fertility rate was around 3.6 children per female. 

These days the fertility rate is around 1.8 births per female, and

whilst this number has risen in the last few years, you can see

that such a dramatic shift will effect the population for

decades.

It is predicted by the ABS that the fertility rate will continue at this

level for many years. Some predictions even show a further

decline.

Even so, one in every three women will remain childless,

compared to one in four just a decade ago.

Startling!

The most significant shift in birth data is a rather dramatic move in

the median age of the birth of a female's first child:

In 1980 the median age of a female at the birth of her first child

was 23 years.

Today it's 31 years!

What this means for your business has to be determined on a

case-by-case basis, however, this one figure will almost certainly

have a significant impact upon your plans.

Living Longer

Australian longevity rates continue to rise (apart from indigenous

longevity).

Only Sweden and Japan "out age" us.

Just this week, a new report of a large study into youth health has

revealed that, for the first time in many decades, lower exercise

and subsequent obesity levels could lead to greater numbers of

cancers, heart disease and an overall reduction in longevity.

What Does It All Mean?

There is significant change within Australia that will effect your

brands, products or services. It seems vital to me that every case

must be studied individually, in order to estimate what the impact

will be, and what these changes mean for you.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require further

data/information, and any assistance in working through these

changes for your brands, products or services.