CHRISTMAS SHOPPING ALREADY

Buying local.

THE BEST HOLIDAY GIFT FOR YOUR COMMUNITY

Marlborough Chamber of Commerce CEO Hans Neilson says when it comes to Christmas shopping, browse around town before you start browsing online.

The holiday season is upon us. Every one of us has the option of giving the gift the entire community can celebrate. The gift of prosperity.

Every holiday dollar spent at a locally owned and operated business not only supports a local job, it actually supports several local jobs by the time that dollar circulates through the community two or three times.

By contrast, that same dollar spent on-line does not support any local jobs. Straight out of the region and up the corporate food chain. Never to be seen again. Buying local isn’t only about dollars, it’s also about impact. The vast majority of our regions businesses are small businesses. To these businesses, even incremental increases in consumer spending can have a big impact on their ability to support jobs, and our community. A quick thought experiment. If every Marlburian simply shifted an additional $10 in spending each month towards independent, locally owned businesses, the result is an additional $5.5 million flowing into our local economy. That’s millions of extra dollars for our region’s economy, investing in capital, more jobs, sponsoring local initiatives. Now consider the impact if Marlburian buyers aimed 10% of their holiday spend this year on local businesses? The impact would be massive. You can make a real difference this Christmas. Add your community to your shopping list and buy local. When you go in, tell them why you are buying local, I can guarantee you will make their day and spread some of that Christmas spirit. Economists are exploring the benefits of “velocity” in the money supply. A good way to think about it is to compare the flow of money in an economy to the flow of blood through the body. If our blood doesn’t flow quickly and freely, the body becomes sluggish and ultimately fails. Speeding up the flow of money in a local economy has the same effect as speeding up the flow of blood in your body. Every sector benefits. The faster money circulates; the more hands it touches and the more jobs it creates. According to economists, the velocity of money in our economy used to be a constant, but it has slowed dramatically in recent decades. Why is this relevant? It shows that spending your money locally not only doubles or triples the local impact of your spending, it also increases the velocity; the liveliness of our local economy. The Marlborough Chamber supports the businesses that support you. Since 1887 the Marlborough Chamber of Commerce has provided support for our regions entrepreneurs and business owners. We have learned the value of a vibrant local economy. We have seen the positive impacts of local spending. It grows a community and generates a shared sense of wellbeing that is hard to quantify, but impossible to ignore. I’m not suggesting readers spend every dollar locally. Instead, I am encouraging taking an informed, thoughtful approach to your spending over the holidays. In simple terms, spend with prosperity in mind, not just the lowest price. You, your neighbours, and your community will benefit.

- Hans Neilson. CEO, Marlborough Chamber of Commerce.

November is a busy month as we all try to squeeze in as much as we can before the end of the year, while burning the candle at both ends as our social lives rev up. The first thing to go when we get overwhelmed, is self care. Ironically, this is precisely the time when self care is most important! When your mind is crammed with a lot to juggle, it’s like a web browser with hundreds of tabs open, and you don’t operate at peak efficiency - far from it! You cost yourself precious time and get LESS done when you’re in a state of high stress, operating within the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight mode). Not only is living in this state damaging to your physical and mental health, no-one can successfully run the day when they are chasing their tail. Meditation is a scientifically proven practice to bring yourself back to a highly efficient state of flow.

“You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day – unless you’re too busy; then you should sit for an hour.” Zen Proverb. Always remember, the less time you feel you have to meditate, the more important it is THAT YOU DO. A short meditation session will help you to step back, centre yourself, then go again in a calm and composed state.

SIMPLE WAYS TO INTRODUCE MEDITATION TO DAILY LIFE

Set your alarm 20 minutes earlier. Arise and settle yourself into a comfortable spot. Sit for 10 - 15 minutes. Simply close your eyes, observe your breath and watch your thought stream. Concentrate on slowing the flow of thoughts and creating periods of empty space in your mind. Take regular 5 minute meditation breaks through out the day. The sensation of adrenalin bumping through your veins and your heart or mind racing, is the sign it’s time to take five. Sit, close your eyes, and count 10 long, slow, smooth breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth. For guided relaxation and meditation you can do anytime, even at your desk, visit www.peptalkmedia.com/meditation.

Nadine Hickman is a yoga teacher, avid meditation practitioner, founder of Pep Talk Media and Project ‘One million happy thoughts’ - an initiative to change the trajectory of mental health in NZ by empowering Kiwi kids and teens to become masters of their minds. Learn more at www.onemillionhappythoughts.org.nz.