Legendary Hollywood icon, George Burns, once said, “Everyone has to get older but that doesn’t mean you have to be old.”
The key to success in life is maintaining youth. I don’t mean chronological youth. I mean staying young at heart. I mean being open-minded. I mean embracing change. I mean committing to continuous learning.
We all know a 75 year-old who is open-minded, energetic, highly spirited and passionate about his work and life. We also know 25 year-olds who area closed-minded, tired, negative and blasé about their work and life. Youth and staying young is a state of mind.
Business and life can be challenging. Whether we’re agonized by personal issues, business challenges, government legislation, job issues, changes all around us and more… working and committing to being young at heart will help us rise above the trials and tribulations we face in our lives.
We need to commit to being open-minded… and embracing fresh, innovative new ideas if we want to flourish and survive. Ater all, “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” The key to capitalizing on change is youth. Stay fresh, vibrant, energetic, relevant and young.
Consider that children color outside the lines, invent games, invent rules to those games and they’re happy as a lark. On the other hand, we, as card-carrying adults, are typically reserved and reluctant. We oftentimes meet change and chanllege with a conservative positioning. Rather than being “young at heart” and meet change head-on with gusto, energy and spirit, we sit back and bemoan the plea, “This is not the way we’ve always done it…”
There are only three (3) things you can do when confronted with change, namely,
- Ignore it.
- React to it.
- Make other changes.
If you ignore change, you’ll shrivel up, evaporate and fall. Think about the “great” businesses that no longer exist because they ignored change. Where is K-Mart? Where is Circuit City? Where is Pier One Imports? Where is Blockbuster Video? Where is Radio Shack? At one time, they were all leaders, and today they no longer exist. It’s a simple lesson… ignore change and you die.
If you simply react to change, you’ll likely survive. “Survival” is certainly good (and better than the alternative), however, we shouldn’t focus on simply surviving. We need to obsess with thriving. Adapting, adjusting and reacting to change is healthy but it still won’t get you the gold ring.
And so, here’s the strategy… here’s the big one… here’s it is. If you want to succeed in times of change, challenge and choice, make other changes. That’s right. Be a change agent, a change catalyst and a master of change. That will keep you young at heart and young in your mind. Just the act of innovating will keep you young.
In most businesses, we tend to be paralyzed by our old rules. Ask your colleagues why they do something a certain way, and the likely response will be, “…that’s the way we’ve always done it.” That’s old world thinking.
That’s simply “old.” It is surely not about being open-minded and young.
Consider that every work of art, industry and science came about because someone looked at the world differently. The key to success is to embrace new, fresh, young ideas… and have lots of spirit and energy.
Question and challenge everything!
Old friend and media mogul Ted Turner met all kinds of resistance when he tried to peddle his unique idea that 24 hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week news was a big idea. He believed in the concept, fought for the principle, and today his CNN creation is not only a reality… but changed the way the world views news.
Henry Ford met incredible resistance with his automobile that replaced the horse-drawn carriage. Ray Kroc met the same kind of resistance with his drive-through restaurant concept called McDonald’s. Sam Walton also experienced great “push back” with his retail establishment positioned to market “…national brands at everyday low prices…. namely, Walmart.
Being and staying young is about innovation. Innovate, don’t imitate. Think about things you can do in your own unique enterprise that “seem” unrealistic but “if” you could accomplish them would dramatically change your business results. Take a shot. NHL hockey legend Wayne Gretzky said, “I miss 100% of the shots I never take.”
In closing, focus back on that old classic line from an old classic song, “Fairy tales can come true… it can happen to you… if you’re young at heart.”
Everyone has to get older, but that doesn’t mean you have to be old.
Ira Blumenthal is a business consultant, a Georgia resident, a best-selling author, a globally renowned public speaker, a university educator and a college Lacrosse coach. Ira welcomes inquiries and can be reached at Ira@Iraspeak.com. His web site is www.IraSpeak.com
