Be better, be different or be cheaper.

   Read this on Seth Godin's blog today: "be better, be different or be cheaper." This is it in a nutshell. People complain about how they can't find a good paying job or why people don't buy their products. The reason is the people aren't finding a way to be either of the first two and the store/manufacturer isn't finding a way to be any of the three. Or you can choose to blame the government or the economy or China if you prefer. However that is just thinking about your perceived cause of your problem rather than moving forward to the solution. As I've said before: the world has changed. Deal with it.

Profound Idea About "Tomorrow"

     Thought provoking quote from Seth Godin: “If you could do tomorrow over again, would you?”

     If the answer is no I think you really need to think about that concept. If you know already that you are not going to enjoy your day and that you wouldn't want to repeat it why live that life? I know it's easy to explain all the reasons why you're trapped but I also have come to realize you can have fun doing almost anything if you have the right attitude. There isn't anything really remarkable about my job but I can tell you that day in and day out I have fun at work. It's about the people, the situations, the passion and most of all finding things to smile and laugh about.  

The World Has Changed-Deal With It

     Staying in a nice hotel for a Conference this weekend. Hotel was nice enough to provide a bottle of water on the night stand. But wait! Sign on it says if I drink it there will be a $5.95 charge on my hotel bill. The world has changed. People expect more and they don't want to be nickel and dimed to death. In my opinion the hotel would be better off not providing the water. I still remember renting a car from National in Albany, New York and being given two free cold bottles of water and the woman coming to the vehicle to explain all the little features that change on cars that those of us who rent cars all the time have to take a moment to figure out (radio controls, headlights, trunk release, adjusting seats etc.). Other things being equal I will rent again from National.
     Unfortunately it looks like this hotel belongs with our school system that still thinks teaching our children to memorize things they can look up in 30 seconds on their phone and the US Postal Service that lost $8.5 billion this year providing the same six day  a week delivery that they did when the world depended on snail mail and used it in great volume.
     The world has changed. Deal with it. You and your business need to evolve or die.