Friday, October 26, 2007

Like millions of other baby boomers, next month I’ll be turning into an Old Coot.

** I’ve already exhibited the early warning signs ... I can’t stand today’s music, can’t stand noisy restaurants or arenas, can’t stand rudeness and I boycott companies that hide their rules in fine print. I tend to ask more questions now, challenging tradition that’s been based on ancient rules and corporate red tape. Don’t ever say to me, “because that’s the way it is.”

** I prefer one-on-one conversations, love to help people and would rather teach than tell. I don’t read my local newspaper. I get all of my news on the Internet, scanning over 300 articles a day, and my TV is glued to CNN and The Discovery Channel. My 10 car radio buttons are all set to this one Oldies station. I wish Elvis was still alive today. Embarrassingly, I’m hooked on Desperate Housewives.

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** I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing on that November day when JFK was assassinated. It still seems like yesterday. I guess when one turns into an Old Coot, everything seems like it happened just yesterday. I just wish they had warned me earlier on that life goes this fast.

** I find myself more opinionated than ever, never hiding anything and saying what I want. Why? I feel I’ve earned it. I find myself regretting some of my past words and actions and now have a better understanding of my own frailties and know how best to address them.

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** My favorite quote comes from Famous Dave of Famous Dave’s BBQ. “Scream or you’ll never be seen.” Sometimes I scream too loudly, sometimes not enough.

** My favorite book is Seth Godin’s The Purple Cow. If you want to seamlessly integrate yourself into blandness, then this book isn’t for you. If you want to excel and differentiate, this book should be your bible, as it is mine.

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** Over the years, I’ve accumulated tons of experience and tons of answers to problems and issues that don’t take a PhD or a high falutin’ consultant from one of those Fortune 500 firms to figure out. The answers though are really simple. I guess that’s the honesty in me, and it’s hard to charge a lot of money for simple and honest answers, like “you need to relate to your customers better.” You see, someone long ago, must have said that simple answers that work just aren’t acceptable because they’re too darn simple and easy to implement, like smiling or shaking a customer’s hand. Most people will choose the difficult, expensive approach because someone told them that problem solving must be done one way only ... the hard way.

** There are some great benefits in becoming an Old Coot. I can finally cash in on those “senior discounts” that everyone offers, plus now, I’m a card carrying AARP member. So don’t push me around!

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** I think being an Old Coot will be really exciting. I’ve still got plenty of fresh ideas, I’m still involved in cutting edge technology and now more so than ever, I understand what it takes to build businesses. Believe me, it is simple.

** I also understand now --- and here’s the million dollar WOW, that there’s only one single thing that stops people from becoming unstoppable. There only one single thing that stops people from achieving the greatness they want to achieve. And that one single thing you can find when you look in the mirror.

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** People are already starting to ask me what I’m doing for the big six-oh. It seems like I’m supposed to be doing something really huge. I don’t know what I’m going to do ... I’ve still got about 4 weeks to think about it, but most likely I’ll just spend it with my family, gaze at the leaves in their blazing autumn colors and go for a jog. To me, that’s really huge.

Posted by jcohen in • Restaurant Marketing
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