Polite? Politically correct? NO! But, let’s look past it… because there is so much to learn from this logo that (I believe) gets to the heart of a cancer warrior’s frustration with all of the “HYPE” about cancer awareness. You see, it’s not about awareness for them. They are painfully AWARE already… Research shows that a new person is diagnosed with cancer every 24 seconds. How much more AWARE can we be?
So, while many cancer advocates are lashing out at companies they feel are exploiting cancer and using skimpy donations to the “cause” as a marketing opportunity, I have to grab on to the heart of this message. These cancer warriors are battling, and they aren’t battling for awareness…. They are – instead – campaigning, hoping, paying, praying, and fighting for a CURE. This pink ribbon logo captures this – perhaps not in a widely accepted language, but with a hard to miss transparency and crystal clear clarity.
I’m glad because I’ve rarely seen this level of clarity of purpose NOT make a difference. And I hope that this message propels the fight for a cure (and prevention) that so many families are counting on and waiting for into a frenzy of equally purposeful action.
We can learn so much from this pink ribbon – if we let ourselves… Where have WE muddied our own purpose? Where have we strayed away from what really matters? A few questions to challenge you this beautiful Monday morning:
- Are you hoping to “get by” a specific situation or circumstance or are you determined to emerge triumphantly – stronger, more courageous, better equipped – on the other side of it?
- Are you simply wanting to avoid divorce or are you deliberately building a healthy, sexy, and decadent marriage?
- Are your business activities designed to win “connections, impressions, and friends” (AWARENESS ) or are you taking action to strategically and authentically win SALES? (There’s a marked difference, I promise.)
See, awareness and a cure are two very different things. I have a lot on my mind this morning… so maybe it’s just me. But, I feel like many things… the things that are most important… the things that live (maybe only) in our dreams and hopes and desires…. the things that are most bold, hopeful, ideal and audacious …. THESE things I think are often masked by easier, more palatable, less threatening words like “awareness”…. So, let’s get REAL already… Let’s NAME what we (really) want and create a strategic, savvy way to build it, find it, create it, or make it happen. The truth is: there’s magic in this kind of raw, unedited clarity of purpose.
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