Influence

Did you know?

The upside down, back to front h or rl symbol you may have seen on supliment bottles, eg, 300µg, is a measurement that stands for one millionth, meaning 300µg = 300 millionth of a gram.

Now this measurement, as minuscule as it is, may be an appropriate amount, but it is very, very little. Say this measurement is a unit of b12, plenty of foods are said to be rich in b12, they must contain more than the supplement, but what’s easier, eating, for example, liver once a week, or taking a tablet daily for the foreseeable?

Supplementation is now better than ever. Rancid tasting medicine was something many of us reluctantly took, but now, medicine has become more of a fact of life, and it’s tastier than ever.

Did you know?

Many skin and hair products contain a range of counter productive ingredients, many of which are alcohols that are known to cause drying or emollient, that act as a barrier to sit on a surface. Often, the credited ingredient is way down the list and the list is generally the order in volume of ingredients used. Many of these ingredients are fillers to bulk out the product, plastics to alter the texture and preservatives to prevent it from going rancid, to extend the shelf life.

DIY?

A number of people I know have spent a couple of years eating sweets that are actually supplements, said to grow your hair. Combined with pricey, imported haircare products that boast key ingredients that are available locally, I dread to think of how much they have spent only to not be able to prove any progress.

When you’ve exhausted a range of options and are now continuing to throw cash at what’s familiar yet seemingly not serving you, at what point is ignorance no longer bliss?

My health has improved, I’m now more conscious of what I eat and use and I’m a cheapskate by nature. I make skin and hair products for myself, along with a wonderful, tasteless, dried liver powder (I don’t know how nutritionally dense it is, but it’s certainly something). I will and have, happily provided these goods to others, yet the interests isn’t there, even when they have asked for these goods, even though these conversations often stem from a complement at my improved hair and skin.

I have found my gifts, clearly unopened, collecting dust at homes, when I’m certian the familiar brand names have been utilized and replaced multiple times, so why is this trial not worth it? Would it be worth it if someone famous bigged it up?

Somebody vs Nobody

An unbranded wallet is listed for sale on a well known Chinese website that specialises in, but is not limited to, wholesale. This wallet sells for around £7. The main selling point of this wallet is it’s ability to block card reading technology, other than that, it’s perhaps not for everyone, being very small and compact, seeming too small to harbour many notes with no room for coins, the user is restricted to card use only. Yes it has it’s niche amongst the ‘young’ and ‘modern’, however you could get more out of the majority of other wallets and purses with the same main selling point.

Take this wallet however, decorate it a little, give it a brand, have any successful content creators sponsored by this name talk fondly of it to their viewers, before offering a 15% discount through an affiliate program, forward to a flashy website where it lists for £145.

It matters entirely that one is well promoted and the other doesn’t appear to advertise at all, yet it likely matters most that people feel closeness towards those they like in general and are particularly in awe of those they see on screen, be that screen big or small. Watching their favourite celebrities and influencer seem pleased appeals to people who will trust their words and buy what they sell.

In spite of the flashy named brand costing over 20x the price of the other, the other receiving equal exposure would likely make little difference.

Buying cheap is generally seen as a badge of honor for those labelled ‘eccentrics’, cheap skates who likely buy knockoffs or counterfeit and fail at masking their breadline status, whilst any decent person would be willing to trade their monthly food budget for the same goods.

Who looks the ethical, more honest and classy person, who has the admirable talking point of purchasing from a famous brand the stars and the publications are associated with?

Now take into account that ‘cheap skate’ didn’t purchase a counterfeit. Cheap skate brandishes a practically identical item to ‘decent’, however cheapskate bought theirs at a local store, this store used the same wholesaler as the famous brand, this local store sold their stock at twice the price per unit whilst famous brand sold theirs at 15x the original price.

Famous brand didn’t do anything wrong, they actually did everything right.

Famous brand made something basic a luxury and convinced the buyer that they wanted that one and only that one.

Luxury comes with an associate to professionalism, though pricier brands often offer good customer service, a driven customer snapping up what they want easily is less likely to be satiated and may never deal with customer service.

Another expectation of luxury aswell as famous brands is a strong element of care and preservation of the goods. These goods can become assets believed to go up in value, they may be worth while investments, though an investment that needs to be immaculate, say a handbag, perhaps isn’t suitable for practical use.

Basically*

I’m not here to discourage anyone, criticize interests and spending habits or to condemn businesses, big or small.

Still, why is it that living testimonials of loved ones played out before the eyes manages to pale in comparison to the mere word of favoured, respectable stranger on screen or that person at work who’s fun to be around? As stated, why do I know that if a beloved figure bigged up my concoctions, the interest of the people I know would perk right up.

What I gather, the heart of this all seems to stem from a lack of interest and self esteem.

When ‘melt coconut oil and shea butter together then whisk it when cool’ are met with “I can’t do it”, how is it possible to believe this? When the more reasonable excuse “I don’t have the time” comes up, questions to ask could be; how much time is being spent online in general? What volume of shopping is carried out online? When wondering the supermarkets to purchase food, how often do you place bodycare products in the basket? Do you cook?

All in all, people just don’t want to.

People are too hard on themselves, not finding the motivation and strength to do things doesn’t make you lazy, having a lot going on at one time, be it leisurely or formal, occupies the mind and drains stamina, your body has to work to carry out activities. Many of us don’t know how to relax, and in modern times, smart televisions and smarter phones, active way past bedtime, we’re now more wired than ever.

If you’re tired, it’s natural to hope things are already done or in place, saves you having to spend more effort and energy. Convenience takes a load off and many things are convenient, from snack food, to ready meals, to takeout and eateries, to clothing and shoes delivered to the door along with the weekly groceries and paint for the bedroom. Gone are the days when you had to boot up a desktop and stay in that location to surf online and a laptop is no longer something flash, now that your phone does everything they do.

Though convenience often brings about an unhealthy complacency, where people know they could do/choose better, but won’t. I was reminded of what people will accept whilst watching this video entitled ‘Printers are a scam‘.

Realising that almost everything at hand is convenience, I have found to be freeing.

I make skincare and haircare products, but not all the time, I still buy the occasional blue magic or Johnson’s baby shampoo. In addition, ingredients need purchasing, I know for a fact I have no intention of rendering coconuts and some essential oils aren’t always the easiest finds, the internet is a treasure trove.

Just a reminder

Don’t buy into the notion that anyone else is smarter than you, they’re simply more productive in whatever the field is that you may be inexperienced in, they’re business minded, possibly more confident and they know how to sell, even with minimal resources, for example…

Here is a years supply of multivitamins, a years supply offered for that added element of convenience. These supplements detail a briefing on why you need them; what they could aid with and a reminder that (using tactful words) the average person doesn’t eat well. They are vegetarian and sourced naturally, presented in gelatin like capsules that would normally be filled with an oil such as cod liver or flax. The ingredients are as follows:

enzymes, carbohydrates, hormones, fatty acids, hippuric acid, phosphorus, citric acid, glucuronic acid, ammonia, uric acid, sodium, chloride, nitrogen, magnesium, calcium, ammonium, hydrogen, sulfates, Chloride, Potassium, carbon, Creatinine, Urea, sulfate, oxygen, Phosphate,Uric acid,Protein, Glucose

Sound very, proper, really professional.

Now what if I told you, that you were about to purchase urine?

We want these things.