Welcome!
Today is the first of four posts that will bring to life what I call the Four Pillars of American Joy.
I’m excited to share this data-driven perspective to remind ourselves that it’s easy to lose sight of the joy that can be found in the simplest of things and is often right in front of us if we are open to receiving it. Joy is a personal choice for each of us, each and every day.
Our data supports the idea that solutions to problems come more easily if we start from a place of positive intent and collaboration versus negative intent, fear, and mistrust.
Before we dig in, I’m not suggesting that everything is perfect in our country, far from it. That said, solutions to problems come more easily if we start from a place of positive intent and collaboration versus negative intent, fear, and mistrust.
Ready? Let’s go!
We synthesized open-ended comments from 1,000 Americans about the positives of living in America. The patterns and themes pointed to this first insight: Our freedom and the rights that go along with that are truly the cornerstone to finding joy in our lives. In fact, it was nearly 60% of consumers had related comments about freedom and our liberties.
#1 Pillar of American Joy: Freedom and Rights: The Cornerstone of Joy
Freedom of speech, religion, and choice
Freedom to live as one pleases
Freedom to pursue any path in life
Freedom to do what we want
Freedom to express oneself
Freedom to disagree
Freedom to celebrate
When you break it down, freedom of speech allows us to chime in with our thoughts, opinions, and important concerns. It is the freedom that enables us to engage in meaningful dialogue, challenge the status quo, and drive positive change. Today, we are talking, but are we listening? Somehow we get in our own way allowing negativity, mistrust, and fear to seep in and cloud progress.
Yet, when consumers pause and focus on the positives as they did for this question in my survey, instead of the negatives, we can see and feel the true potential of this country.
Equally important, the consumers stated that the freedom to make personal choices is a key positive of living in America versus living elsewhere. It empowers us to create and shape our own lives whether it is choosing to take a leap of faith into a new career or pursuing a new passion or simply enjoying the personal relationships that we have. The joy derived from this freedom lies in the knowledge that our destinies are not predetermined, but rather shaped by our own aspirations and actions.
So What? Now What?
Let us remember as we celebrate this Fourth of July that joy is found within our freedoms and rights. Even amidst the challenges that we face, and yes there will always be new challenges, each of us holds the ability to express ourselves, pursue our hopes, wants, and dreams, and importantly shape our own paths. It is in these freedoms that we find hope, resilience, and the unwavering spirit that defines us as a nation. Let the joy of our freedom ring this Fourth of July, reminding us of the countless reasons we have to be joyful.
Data collected June 15 - June 20, 2023, among a representative sample of Americans 18+ years old. The sample was sourced from Prodege MR and is balanced to census regions, gender, age, and ethnicity. Partnered with Spot Trender using their advanced AI language model.
Check out the other parts to the mini-series!