Today is Halloween. Do I have to?

But why?

Have you ever asked yourself, why am I celebrating Halloween? I am 44 and I have never stopped and asked myself, “why am I celebrating this holiday this year?”  I can recollect about 39 times in my life that I participated in this holiday and truth be told, I can justify participation once.

1. I don’t like processed sugar anymore and the holiday seems to be a retail driven.
2. Even though I am a salesman and a marketing guy, I don’t like the concept of panhandling for sugar.
3. I live in Colorado and it never fails that Halloween is always cold and bad weather.
4. I don’t mark a religious celebration with the holiday.
5. I like dressing up, but costumes that stand out are usually expensive, time consuming and almost always uncomfortable.
6. The holiday marks no significance in history or the work of a great human being.

Come to think about it, I cant think of any good reasons why I should support the silly Halloween habit other than it gives my children something to do.

There are many things we do in life that are like that, participate just becuase we have always done it or that is what the masses do.

Thinking about not participating in Holloween this year to see if it changes my life.

Maybe our marketing is that way, we do things because it’s what we have always done or it’s what we are expected to do. The herbal company that sells their product in cottage retail vitamin shop. The software company that attends trade shows. The newspaper that drops there content in your driveway. The liquor store that advetizes in the newspaper that is dropped on your driveway.

Innovation is rarely found in the stream of the masses.

Take a step back and look at your present marketing and sales tactics and ask “what happens if we don’t do it this year?”

I think I am going to go to the gym this year while everyone is out drinking or parading around in uncomfortable costumes. I am sure there wont be a crowd at the gym and that just might be a good thing.