Filing Day Greetings:

Be forewarned ~ I’m doing a bit of “soul”- searching and reflection today …

I’ve been thinking about a challenge my dad faced when he retired at 77, without really contemplating how he would occupy his “free” time?  He was incredibly bored.  Between his retirement and passing nine years later, I bet he counseled me at least 200 times, “…be sure you have a plan and a purpose when you retire!”

I have no professional insights here, but SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO ought to be a perpetual personal priority... 

It can be anything yet HAS to be something:  Time with grandkids, gardening, helping seniors, saving democracy, philately, working out, needlepointing, a Mahjong game at the local Y, your daily walk, an annual summer vacation, doing the Spelling Bee, reconnecting with old friends, making wine, the Saturday matinee, hugging your husband, going to the museum.  Your basic endless list!

I have a wonderful long-time college friend who did/tried 70 new things over the course of her 70^th year.  What a splendid notion!

You

Must

Have

Something

To

Look

Forward

To!

I mentioned the word “purpose”.  Adding PURPOSE to anticipated activities is even better.  However, I’m not talking lofty, proof I’m doing noble work purpose, but every-day-do-a-good-deed purpose.

Now, apply comparable thinking to your professional life and ask yourself, Do I look forward to doing whatever it is I do?”  (at least occasionally!)

I don’t think it matters what “hat” you wear.  If you are a customer- facing enterprise, doing the exact same thing day in and day out with zero variation is certain burnout, boredom or depression. Not only you, but your customers will suffer.  Guess what?  Declining financial performance will follow.    

In newspaperland, adding One More special section might augment your commission or achieve a short-term financial goal, but will rarely be in the customer’s best interest. 

We really have to think MUCH bigger!  Our purpose is not (repeat NOT!) to sell more advertising. At the most basic level, our business purpose is to help businesses keep the customers they have and find new ones, right?  By definition, this MEANS longer-term, multi-solution, comprehensive, ROI generating campaigns, not a single ad.

How will you accomplish that?

On the news side?  Content must be original and locally sourced!  It must also inform, improve lives, delight, teach, provide context, be relevant, accurate and timely.  No easy task, right?  The only time international, national and even most statewide content should grace our pages is when there’s local context.  

The purpose?  To serve, advance and improve the community we’re part of!  When successful, a delightful by-product of excellent business and newsroom efforts is the saving of democracy!

What do you look forward to?

Here's to a big, fat refund - thanks for reading!