Valentine’s Day is silly. Think about it. Americans spend $17.6 billion on Valentine’s Day (roughly the GDP of Paraguay) for things that say nothing more than “I’m shallow enough to believe that this gift is exactly what my shallow loved one needs to evaluate my love.” The number of roses, or chocolates, or cards someone buys on February 14 signals nothing more than someone bought, bartered, or created roses, chocolates, or cards. Signs of love are more meaningful than that. If it were in any other month, Valentine’s Day would easily be the most ridiculous item on the calendar.
Alas, Groundhog Day exists. And for the past 125 years we’ve looked to a varmint to predict (in the most absurd way imaginable) the duration of winter weather. While to Punxsutawney Phil’s credit most meteorologists fair no better, it is fair to say that cloud cover on February 2nd means nothing more than there is cloud cover on February 2nd.
February’s all about fantasy, it seems. We believe that heart-shaped candy boxes and hibernating sciurids can cure our ills. We believe that an 8.3% unemployment rate is worth celebrating, even though the labor force participation rate is at a 26-year low. We watch Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj live out their deranged fantasies at the Grammys.
For credit unions, the February fantasy that should concern you the most is the one perpetuated by each of us. You know, the one that involves the same conversations we’ve been having for a decade. The cast is made up of the usual players: credit unions that always wear the white hats, mean bankers who victimize all that they come in contact with, and an overreaching regulator that inhibits credit unions’ ability to succeed. While not entirely fiction, this scenario has always been overstated…just like the meaning of twelve roses, a groundhog in Pennsylvania, and macroeconomic calculations that measure the wrong things.
My favorite day this month, and every month, is today. Today, you can stop making excuses and start fixing things for consumers. Today, you can make one more phone call, take one more chance, build one more thing, take one more minute to help a member understand. Today, you can stop waiting for external signs to give you permission to make a difference. Today, you can start building a better credit union, a better credit union system, and a better financial life for those you touch.
That is worth celebrating.
Very good post Matt. Not to diminish the message and the call to action, but I am now dying to know what you gave (or didn’t give) your wife for Valentine’s Day!
My wife’s distaste for Valentine’s Day is unmatched. Despite knowing this, I brought home some tasty treats. When she saw the bag, she instantly gave me the stink eye. It didn’t matter what was in the bag, she didn’t want me to get it for her.
She got me two packs of Starburst.
Our members are owners, and it’s time for us to take ownership of the future of our industry.
I think I am related to your wife! I refuse to play the Valentine’s game (although husband and I do buy a token chocolate bar for the kid). Remind me to tell you about how I think diamonds are overrated someday…
I agree with everything in me in many respects and I say “cheers” to making one more call & taking one more chance today. I will. However, I have to say this: we need fantasies in February. Maybe not quite as much this February where the temps have frequently been above 50 degrees in the Northeast, but during most years, this is the month when we ALL need a fantasy. When you’ve been shivering and stomping in snow and you know you’ll likely have to do so for at least a few more weeks, fantasy might be all that keeps you sane. Even this very mild year I’ve had more than 10 8 mile runs in temperatures 25 degrees or less. I’m fantasizing even if that fantasy is guided by a groundhog and little man in a diaper with an arrow. Sometimes when things seem bleak, these fantasies spur us forward.