You may be familiar with the kind of coffee shop I am talking about. They tend to be pretty much open plan in design, the company name is emblazoned everywhere, the smell of freshly brewed coffee pervades the area. What really stands out though, is the price they charge - they are so expensive for a cup of coffee! Personally, I don’t drink coffee, so it is not the product itself that I am discussing here, but rather, what draws people in and then persuades them to part with, what on balance, is a lot of money for a product that is so cheap to produce? Let’s take a closer look at the scenario. What exists aside from the drink? Here’s a list that springs to mind: Social environment - a warm and inviting place to meet up with friends Business environment - a useful and inviting place to conduct business and much cheaper than hiring an office. The aroma - not to everyone’s taste perhaps, but it certainly draws the coffee drinkers in! The furnishings - can often be really comfortable and at the very least sufficient to be able to relax. The lighting - generally providing pools of light rather than might be found in a garish cafe. Staff - generally welcoming So, when it comes down to it, the customer is not simply buying a cup of coffee after all. The seemingly unassuming coffee shop is in reality a honeypot trap. It feeds on your senses and your perception of value i.e. that which is important to you. The Pitcher Plant is very similar in operation. It presents itself with just the right amount of allure through display and smell as to provide a trap for those who would succumb to it. Unlike those poor insects that get caught in such a trap, the coffee shop customer will escape at some point, but not without paying a high price for what in reality is a cheap product. Of course, you may be such a customer and not feel the same way at all. You may feel that you are getting good value - probably because of the “benefits” listed above. My point is this, it is your perception of such benefits vs. the price you pay, that makes the difference. How we see things or believe things to be or not to be, creates an understanding in our minds that is accepted as reality because we can see it in our mind as being a truth. The only way to change such a belief is to question it. Simply to “face facts” is not enough. Our minds become entrenched in a particular pattern of perception that can only be diverted by what might be described as an emotional intervention. A common example is where a person who is acting hysterically is slapped around the face to “bring them out of it”. Out of what? Out of the (mental) state that they are in. I used to have a record player and sometimes when playing a record, the needle would get caught in a particular groove either because the record was scratched or perhaps some debris was blocking the track. It would take a little nudge to get the song to continue to play. So it can be with us. We can get caught in a particular groove of thinking - the same output repeating over and over. We may well need an emotional nudge before we can move on and play the full song of life obtained through a correct meaningful perception. So, if you find yourself drawn into your comfort zone and paying too high a price for the privilege, perhaps it would be wise to welcome a nudge into reality and enjoy the rest of your song that has yet to play. |
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AuthoRDoug Harvey, Counsellor, CBT Therapist and LIfe Coach - Someone to listen - someone to help. CategoriesArchives
February 2016
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