What describes a person best is perhaps finding out what things make them most happy. I'm not an expert on human emotion but I have taken several sociology classes in college and been around people for close to 26 years. Working in marketing, it's fun to see commercials and other advertisements that play on human emotion in a broader way than our audience likes basketball - let's have a famous basketball player demonstrate our product. Knowing your audience allows for ads that stick in the mind forever.
This post is not about advertising but of what I consider to be the greatest things in the world. Everyone has 10-20 things/events that make them the most happy. Knowing what these things have in common across a demographic can help us become better marketers, salespeople, leaders, etc.
Standing at the top of a mountain with a pair of skis and nobody else is in sight.
What really stands out is the summit at Blue Sky Basin in Vail, Colorado. The last time I was there, I split off from my ski partner for the weekend for a little while. That weekend at Vail was as cold as anything I've ever experienced in my life. To me, it's as far away from civilization I could have gotten without being lost. It's the most calming thing I've experienced.
Pulling an all-nighter with friends on a porch and watching the sunrise with a beer.
Late my Senior year at the University of Kansas, I was with a group of about eight people reveling in what was the final month of all of our time in school.
Tip off at Allen Fieldhouse for a big game.
There's not a time in our lives when we have more in common with so many other people than when we're at a home game for our team. Several places can evoke this same emotion but Allen Fieldhouse is one of a kind. I've been lucky enough to see dozens of these types of games there. For two hours, nothing else matters. Just be loud, yell things you wouldn't normally say in front of decent people, and hope for the best.
Jet flyover before a football game as the National Anthem is ending.
'Nuff said.
Golfing at the Ocean Course - Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
I could just say golf in general or "golfing on a nice day" but it wouldn't be true. The four hours on the Ocean Course, one of the most beautiful places in the country was a spiritual experience. It's as though God made that piece of land for people to put a golf course on.
The first beer on a Friday after a long week of work.
It's not the beer that's important, just the moment when we all can turn off the brain and spend time with our best friends. The beer is good to aid in keeping the conversations as random and inappropriate as possible.
The moment a goal is scored at LiveStrong Sporting Park.
Soccer, unlike most of the sports doesn't give the fan the immediate satisfaction of seeing your team "take the lead." Every game is pure suspense. A team may be "dominating" a game but not winning. The moment a goal is scored by your team is one of the most rewarding, relieving and exciting moments a fan can experience.
Landing at either coast after a long flight.
It's not that I'm afraid of flying or that it makes me feel uneasy. I can't imagine sitting on a floatation device in a cramped seat that smells funny for more than two hours is enjoyable for anyone. Landing means the plane is still in one piece and you can escape the crying baby, talkative old guy or space invading person who thinks you don't need the space because you're thin.
Opening credits for a movie I've been anticipating for months.
Movies are so hard to be patient for. You know what's coming well in advance. It's like looking forward to a major sporting event and seeing highlights before you're able to see the actual game and result.
A great bottle of wine.
I'm a habitual wine drinker. There's always an excuse to have a few glasses of red wine after a long day. The special occasions though with a wine you've never had before that costs more than $20 - those are the best. Each wine has its own taste and history. To an average wine drinker, it's always interesting to hear what your company has to say about the wine. "Oh, it has a hint of oak and berry flavor. It's very smooth and drinkable. Oh, and a hint of cinnamon! Yeah, it's good."
Christmas morning with the family.
I love the holidays and I love family. What makes this morning perfect is that it's the one day out of the year when you have absolutely no distractions. Turn off your phone and ignore social media. The only thing that's important is to enjoy your time with the family and eat fantastic food.
Snow days.
When I was young, snow days were a bit more simple. It'd snow more than a few inches, schools would deem it unsafe for kids to be outside and I'd end up spending the day with Mom watching movies. Nowadays, it takes a storm worthy of nicknames to have a real snow day (like Snowpocalypse). When the car's stuck in a snow bank, staying home from work is acceptable. This results in sparse amounts of real work completed, video games, wine and snowball fights. The best snowball fights last hours and result with someone wearing a flower pot as a helmet.
Autumn days tailgating before a football game at the alma mater.
Tailgating involves the three undeniably great things that are beer, food and cigars. The great weather in mid-October makes for the perfect setting for spending an afternoon enjoying these life pleasures. What can push this day to the next level is a good football game to conclude the day (see KU football, 2007). Sadly, football at the University of Kansas is a fickle beast so we have to settle for good tailgates more often than not.
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