Why don't we fall out of bed?

Regardless of whether you sleep in a twin, full, queen or king sized bed, how come you don’t fall off in the middle of the night? Why don’t you roll over and right out onto the floor? We worry about that with kids. When a child moves to a big boy or big girl bed, parents usually put up railings to prevent “things that go bump in the night”.

Eventually parents take the sleep training wheels off. Someone told me that having children do ballet or gymnastics or just jump off a step helps them understand their body’s “place in space”. Maybe, we learn that place subconsciously. So no matter where our dreams might take us, we don’t end up on the floor.

I was struck by the fact that our personal artifacts serve to help us determine our “place in space”. They can be tokens that remind us of our values. Our family connections. Lessons learned from childhood. How far we’ve come. The places we’ve gone. The things that we do in our daily lives. How we’ve adapted. Artifacts, badges, trophies, lucky charms. Any or all of the handles could apply. Maybe even little personal oracles?

What do we then think about the person who goes through life “traveling light”? I knew a guy who never wanted to have more stuff than could fit in a manila envelope. At least that was his claim.

How do we unpack his story if he doesn’t keep things that mark the chapters? The power of a good question that forms the basis for a good conversation is probably the place to start. I do believe that as the stakes of “high tech” rise with every passing minute, there needs to be an equal rise in “high touch”.

I’m a fan of community technology for what it can bring to consumer research. At the same time, there is something to be said for the “breaking of bread” as was discussed by Thursday’s speaker.

One of the very best things you can do as a planner or strategist is to be fully present and engaged in the discussions you have.

Hell, probably one of the very best things you can do in life.

Note: This article was originally written for my VCU Brandcenter students.