Yes I’m back, how happy are you about that?
Actually don’t answer that, it will only upset me.
So one of the things my parents taught me is to be interested in the things other people are interested in.
This bit of advice has basically been the foundation of my career.
By spending my time out of the office, out of focus group rooms, out of the marketing bubble … I’ve been able to meet people and hear stories that have had a huge impact on the work I’ve done and the opportunities I’ve had.
However there is one group that I’ve found has always been the most interesting.
The elderly.
I’m not saying that because I’m fast becoming one of them, but because they have reached a point where they’ve worked out who they are and what they like, better yet – as I wrote last year, they now recognise the things that are important versus the things they thought that were – the things that ended up undermining their potential.
The elderly – which for me, is basically anyone over the age of 65, even if they feel they’re 25 – don’t give a shit about playing the politeness game, they just answer things as they it.
Don’t get me wrong, there can be times where hearing their views and theories on life can be very scary indeed, but in this era of convenient soundbites and curated conversations, it can be liberating because as Barbara Bush once said …
“Never ask someone over 70 how they feel, because they’ll tell you”.