#all-or-nothing

One might think that Trump is a pragmatic politician leaving his policy choices to whichever way the political winds blow. When contrasted with the master pragmatist, Otto von Bismarck, Trump is exposed for the venial corrupt person he is.

Summary: Otto von Bismarck is the world’s foremost political pragmatist believing that social forces and ideas shaped politics. By contrast, Trump’s approach is strictly self-serving, in spite of what he claims. The two political styles are compared and contrasted. Bismarck, known for his focus on the attainable and the possible, navigated political challenges with an eye toward national benefit.…

Perfectionism, characterized by setting extremely high standards, can often lead to stress, reduced productivity, and mental health issues. Recognizing and addressing perfectionism can promote a healthier balance.

Perfectionism is a trait that many individuals strive for, aiming to achieve flawlessness in every aspect of their lives. Perfectionism is a personality trait characterized by setting extremely high standards for oneself and striving for flawlessness in all aspects of life. It involves a strong desire to achieve perfection and an intense fear of making mistakes or falling short of…

The Difficult and the Daunting

You may have heard recently that Amazon is pulling back a bit on hiring and warehouse space. With all their vast resources in strategic planning, the executive team there overshot on leasing square feet their forecasts no longer support. I suspect they will manage through this just fine in the long run with little impact on earnings, but it is a powerful reminder of how difficult it is to predict…

While lugging boxes up the stairs of our new office last week, I got into a conversation with Adina and Elana about exercise. While we all make an attempt to work out regularly, I am pretty sure our exercises of choice couldn’t be more different (Elana loves yoga and is a ClassPass devotee, Adina prefers at-home workout videos and park runs with Adam, and I opt for early morning “power walks” mixed up with gym visits). What unites us, though, is the attitude: Every little bit counts – even ten minutes of carrying boxes up the stairs.

In fact, Adina admitted that she’d actually gotten into better shape when she gave up the “all-or-nothing” perspective towards exercise. She laughed, “I used to feel like if I couldn’t work out for an hour, then it wasn’t worth it. Now, I’ll fit in thirty minutes of Pilates each day and be like – I’m done.” I’m definitely in Adina’s camp, here: you don’t always (or ever) have the time, energy, or desire to be a full-fledged workout junkie – and that’s more than okay.

Applying this logic, then, I would argue that just because you’re using our products – or interested in using them – you don’t need to be diehard about “naturals.” Very few people are 100% natural, and that’s just fine.

See, there is an intimidating “all-or-nothing” attitude surrounding natural skincare and beauty – it’s a real barrier for mass adoption and that’s a damn shame. I blame a lot of this on the marketing associated with natural products, which insists that adopting a 100% all-natural lifestyle is a requirement. That’s silly. I mean, must you grow your own micro-greens to use an S.W. Basics Cleanser? That’s awesome if you’re doing so, but it’s absolutely not expected (I mean, I don’t!). More importantly, do you need to use every single product in the S.W. Basics line to see the benefits of a natural skincare routine? Nope! We’re just happy that you’re testing something out.

See, we will never be the type of company that alienates people because they’re not living a 100% natural lifestyle (or a 100% S.W. Basics lifestyle). While we happen to think natural skincare rocks – and is better for your skin, too – there’s no judgment if you want to pair your Proactiv cleanser with our Cream. We won’t look down on you if you drink a Diet Coke with your kale salad. You shouldn’t feel ashamed because your hair really likes that drugstore staple you’ve been using for years and you just aren’t ready to switch to a natural alternative.

What we’re asking of you isn’t to adopt an “all-or-nothing” attitude -- far from it, in fact. We want you to come hang out with us and listen to what we have to say with an open mind. We promise we'll do the same for you.