Marissa Brassfield — November 29, 2009 — About
References: metronews
Jeremy Gutsche and Trend Hunter were recently featured in Metro News in a piece on how Canadians are increasingly prioritizing personal life experiences over their careers. It’s no secret that the economy has caused us to take a closer look at our lives, and in Canada, that means a sharper focus on pursuing goals, aspirations and dreams.
Throughout the Metro Canada piece, Jeremy Gutsche shares his insights as to how the economy has affected Canadians’ life choices. Check out the full article below.
by Rafael Brusilow, Metro Canada
Canadians are more interested in leading fulfilling lives than they are in monetary or career success, a new study shows.
The study, conducted by market research firm Angus Reid, found that more than three quarters of Canadians (77 per cent) are focused more on their personal life experiences than their careers.
The study also found that when asked to prioritize different aspects of their lives, nearly half of Canadians (45 per cent) said that time with family and friends is most important to them, followed by a healthy lifestyle (17 per cent) and rich life experiences (15 per cent), with monetary (nine per cent) and career success (seven per cent) much less important to Canadians on average.
Jeremy Gutsche from Trendhunter.com, a magazine that tracks and reports on cultural trends, says life-fulfillment is proving to be a powerful career force for many Canadians.
“There are a lot of situations where people are seeking out fuller experiences. People want to enrich themselves, even if it means taking a pay cut,” Gutsche said.
Thirty-seven per cent of respondents in the study also said the economic recession has made them re-evaluate what is important to them, less than 10 per cent said making more money or finding greater career success is their main priority.
In tougher economic times, Gutsche says people are more likely to reconsider their life priorities as people around them lose their jobs and start up new careers.
“Even if you don’t lose your job, you see people lose their jobs and ask yourself, ‘What if?’ You might reconsider what’s important to you,” he said.
Master caterer Mike Thompson worked in the Vancouver film industry for 12 years before realizing he was missing out on time with the most important people in his life — his family.
The pay was excellent but Thompson frequently worked up to 100 hours per week and hardly saw his children awake.
“My son told me he couldn’t remember what I looked like. You wake up one day and realize you’ve missed a lot,” Thompson said.
Two years ago he quit his job and opened his own sandwich shop, Duke’s on Broadway in downtown Vancouver. He counts many of his former coworkers as customers now and while he makes less money on the bottom line, he gets to spend as much time every day with his family as he wants.
“Getting ahead was most important to me before. Now it’s enjoying life.”
Throughout the Metro Canada piece, Jeremy Gutsche shares his insights as to how the economy has affected Canadians’ life choices. Check out the full article below.
More money, more problems
by Rafael Brusilow, Metro Canada
Canadians are more interested in leading fulfilling lives than they are in monetary or career success, a new study shows.
The study, conducted by market research firm Angus Reid, found that more than three quarters of Canadians (77 per cent) are focused more on their personal life experiences than their careers.
The study also found that when asked to prioritize different aspects of their lives, nearly half of Canadians (45 per cent) said that time with family and friends is most important to them, followed by a healthy lifestyle (17 per cent) and rich life experiences (15 per cent), with monetary (nine per cent) and career success (seven per cent) much less important to Canadians on average.
Jeremy Gutsche from Trendhunter.com, a magazine that tracks and reports on cultural trends, says life-fulfillment is proving to be a powerful career force for many Canadians.
“There are a lot of situations where people are seeking out fuller experiences. People want to enrich themselves, even if it means taking a pay cut,” Gutsche said.
Thirty-seven per cent of respondents in the study also said the economic recession has made them re-evaluate what is important to them, less than 10 per cent said making more money or finding greater career success is their main priority.
In tougher economic times, Gutsche says people are more likely to reconsider their life priorities as people around them lose their jobs and start up new careers.
“Even if you don’t lose your job, you see people lose their jobs and ask yourself, ‘What if?’ You might reconsider what’s important to you,” he said.
Master caterer Mike Thompson worked in the Vancouver film industry for 12 years before realizing he was missing out on time with the most important people in his life — his family.
The pay was excellent but Thompson frequently worked up to 100 hours per week and hardly saw his children awake.
“My son told me he couldn’t remember what I looked like. You wake up one day and realize you’ve missed a lot,” Thompson said.
Two years ago he quit his job and opened his own sandwich shop, Duke’s on Broadway in downtown Vancouver. He counts many of his former coworkers as customers now and while he makes less money on the bottom line, he gets to spend as much time every day with his family as he wants.
“Getting ahead was most important to me before. Now it’s enjoying life.”
Trend Themes
1. Pursuit of Life Fulfillment - The trend of prioritizing personal life experiences over careers is growing, presenting opportunities for companies to cater to this desire and offer enriching experiences.
2. Reevaluation of Life Priorities - In light of economic downturns, people are reevaluating what is important to them, creating opportunities for businesses to tap into this shift and offer products/services that align with new priorities.
3. Work-life Balance - The growing emphasis on work-life balance presents opportunities for industries to innovate and provide flexible solutions that allow individuals to maintain fulfilling personal lives while still pursuing their careers.
Industry Implications
1. Travel and Recreation - The increased focus on personal life experiences opens up opportunities for the travel and recreation industry to offer unique and fulfilling experiences that cater to this trend.
2. Personal Development and Wellness - As individuals value personal well-being and enrichment, the personal development and wellness industry can provide products and services that help people achieve their desired life fulfillment and self-improvement.
3. Flexible and Remote Work Solutions - To meet the demand for work-life balance, industries can explore disruptive innovation in the form of flexible and remote work solutions, catering to the changing priorities of individuals.
2.7
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
