Begin with the End in Mind: Consumer Behavior Assignments for 7 February

Here's something to motivate you. Let me share with you Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Habit 2 states, "Begin with the End in Mind".

Here's an excerpt, (in parentheses are mine):

So, what do you want to be when you grow up (or when you graduate)? That question may appear a little trite, but think about it for a moment. Are you--right now--who you want to be, what you dreamed you'd be, (capable of) doing what you always wanted to do? Be honest. Sometimes people find themselves achieving victories that are empty--successes that have come at the expense of things that were far more valuable to them. If your ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step you take gets you to the wrong place faster. 

Habit 2 is based on imagination--the ability to envision in your mind what you cannot at present see with your eyes. It is based on the principle that all things are created twice. There is a mental (first) creation, and a physical (second) creation. The physical creation follows the mental, just as a building follows a blueprint.

If you don't make a conscious effort to visualize who you are and what you want in life, then you empower other people and circumstances to shape you and your life by default. It's about connecting again with your own uniqueness and then defining the personal, moral, and ethical guidelines within which you can most happily express and fulfill yourself.

Begin with the End in Mind means to begin each day, a task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles (see Habit 1) to make things happen. 

One of the best ways to incorporate Habit 2 into your life is to develop a Personal Mission Statement. It focuses on what you want to be and do. It is your plan for success. It reaffirms who you are, puts your goals in focus, and moves your ideas into the real world. Your mission statement makes you the leader of your own life. You create your own destiny and secure the future you envision.-

Surely, your future will not be defined solely by how well you did in school BUT mind you, the discipline you bring to your school work, the habits you formed in school, and the quality of work that you turn in - these are the things that you will bring with you AFTER college.

So there. I hope you'll find time to reflect on what you want to be in the near future, where you want to go, and what future you envision for yourself.

Now for the class assignments-

Here are the links:

Text and Tools - same reference material
Trends- this and this 
Think-Piece topics below:

Consumer Confidence and Spending Intentions
How Advertisers Conquered the Super Bowl
The Philosophy of a Hashtag Strategy
5 Ways for an Online Entreprenuer to Stand Out
Super Bowl 2015 Ads
The Dangers of Cut-Price-Cut Soap
The Philippines is SEA's Strong Man
Smart Phones are the New Cigarettes

Please remember the guidelines that I gave you on Effective Presentations. Summarize. Synthesize. See you all on Saturday.