From the Editor
My husband, Bob, and I met at college in 1989, so it’s been quite some time since we walked into a college classroom together. Recently, however, our friend and professor, Brian Cahill, gave us the opportunity to experience a dose of college nostalgia, though this time, we were on the other side of the desk.
Thirty-three years after we sat together as students, Bob and I stood side by side, at the front of the classroom, as guest speakers in the Stockton University business class. The students were remarkably bright, intuitive, and honest. Sharing our stories as business owners with the students was a unique and insightful experience that we both thoroughly enjoyed.
This generation of leaders and future business owners grew up with information at their fingertips. From baby tablets to laptops and iPhones, they have had access to a consistent, real-time stream of information for as long as they can remember.
While the entire catalog of Shore Local published stories exists on our website (shorelocalnews.com) and across all of our social media platforms, this was a strong reminder that businesses must stay up-to-date with technology. This interaction sparked in us a renewed commitment to keep up with technology, trends, analytics, and upcoming social media platforms.
I still have to wonder, though, why vinyl records have made a comeback when we have access to so many music streaming platforms. I believe it comes down to tangibility. The internet is fleeting. Things are here today, gone tomorrow. There is no feeling that ignites all of the senses quite like holding a new book, album, or magazine. We believe there will always be a market for tangible, hand-held, feel-good media, whether it’s a book, an album, or a news publication like Shore Local.
Our journey back into the classroom also gave us an opportunity to take a pause and reflect on our wild life adventure together. It’s been messy and has rarely gone as planned. But like many, if we graphed our progress, it would not be a straight line. We’ve taken one step forward, two steps back, four steps forward and one back, etc… With a little perspective, we realize now that the setbacks were opportunities for us to up our game and try, try again.
Resilience, one’s willingness to get up, “bounce back,” and carry on, is what I believe is most important and indicative of success. Rather than letting failure overcome and drain your resolve, try to find a way to rise and be better than before.
As parents, we spend a lot of time and energy ensuring our kids get good grades and are honest, polite, confident, and athletic. I never thought about whether my children were resilient. If I had a redo on parenting, I would cringe less at the failures my kids faced and see them more as opportunities to foster resilience.
“Be a tryer,” I would emphasize. Tryers make great employees and leaders because their defeats are never really defeats, only setbacks on their road to even greater heights.
Thank you to Brian Cahil and the students at Stockton University that welcomed us into their class. We are each writing our own story as we go. Make it a great one.
“It’s hard to beat a person who never quits.” – Babe Ruth
Peace & Love,
Cindy
