A Simple, Yet Provocative Ode to 2007
I just got out of one of those mind-numbing meetings that appears to last a lifetime. It seems that “based on a view from 30,000 feet, the wagons need to be circled, and a new client facing 2.0 something-or-other needs to be re-imagin-eered.” I have no idea what on earth this means, which is scary because I was the one saying it (kidding!).
Don’t you just love corporate jargon? I prefer to speak straight, which can be a bit bewildering to others who prefer the more high-minded stuff you learn in an M.B.A program. But I digress.
It’s been a tough year and, frankly, I look forward to 2008. There were lots of ups and downs in our industry this year — too many in my opinion. Insane postage increases, wildfires, politics, a volatile stock market, the housing and mortgage industry meltdown, etc. Enough!
I can’t accurately predict what will happen in 2008, but I can almost certainly guarantee that it will be driven by election-year politics and an economy that, to me, feels shaky.
As for 2007, I want to leave you with a story I recently heard (but can’t for the life of me remember where I heard it). It goes something like this:
A man was asked when his favorite time of the day was. His answer was, “The moment my head hits the pillow at night.” When asked why, he said that this was the time every night that he reflected on his life and got to ask himself, “Was I the man today that I set out to be? Did I live up to my expectations of myself, and what can I do better tomorrow?”
This struck a major chord with me. Simple, elegant and to the point. No M.B.A or 30,000 foot view required, but great inspiration for all of us.
- Companies:
- Gilbert Direct Marketing
- People:
- Jim Gilbert
Jim Gilbert has had a storied career in direct and digital marketing resulting in a burning desire to tell stories that educate, inform, and inspire marketers to new heights of success.
After years of marketing consulting, Jim decided it was time to “put his money where his mouth was" and build his own e-commerce company, Premo Natural Products, with its flagship product, Premo Guard Bed Bug & Mite Sprays. Premo in its second year is poised to eclipse 100 percent growth.
Jim has been writing for Target Marketing Group since 2006, first on the pages of Catalog Success Magazine, then as the first blogger for its online division. Jim continues to write for Total Retail.
Along the way, Jim has led the Florida Direct Marketing Association as their Marketing Chair and then three-term President, been an Adjunct Professor of Direct and Digital marketing for Miami International University, and created a lecture series, “The 9 Immutable Laws of Social Media Marketing,” which he has presented across the country at conferences and universities.
