Recently, I had the opportunity to return to my hometown to help celebrate my parents' 66th wedding anniversary. It was an incredible milestone, one that not many couples reach, and a testament to the kind of lasting commitment and growth that only time can cultivate.
I had this thought, and it hit me like a ton of bricks: as kids, we often dream of time travel, eager to leap into the future and see what wonders await. But as we grow older, the allure of the past becomes stronger. Returning to our childhood neighborhoods, seeing familiar sights, and walking through places that hold so many memories can feel like stepping into a time machine. It's a journey not through outer space, but through time, as we reconnect with parts of ourselves that we've left behind.
Being at my parents’ house in the neighborhood I grew up in, I find myself wanting to time travel backward, to relive those moments and appreciate how much has changed.
While I was there, I took my wife for a walk around the neighborhood and the local park, places that once felt like the center of my world. As we walked, memories surfaced like echoes of a different time. The houses that lined the streets weren’t just homes; they were snapshots of my past. I remembered the kids who had lived there, the ones I played with, argued with, and grew up alongside. I pointed out the houses where I had babysat, spent the night, delivered newspapers to, and even watered plants while neighbors were away.
We walked through the neighborhood park where I had spent so many hours playing volleyball, laughing with friends, and even sharing a few kisses. It was strange to see it now, still standing, still inviting, yet somehow different. Not because the park itself had changed, but because I had.
As we got back to my parents’ house, I couldn’t help but smile at a small but significant detail. If you looked closely at the driveway, you’d see faint oil stains, remnants of my very first car, a ‘66 VW Bug. That little car wasn’t just my first taste of independence; it was the beginning of my career in the automotive industry. Standing there, looking at those old stains, I felt a sense of gratitude. That driveway was where it all started.
As I walked through the same neighborhood I once knew so well, I noticed something striking, the physical landscape hadn’t changed much. The houses, the streets, even some of the local businesses looked almost identical to how I remembered them. But despite the appearance of these surroundings, I realized something profound: the people within them had changed.
It’s a powerful reminder of how we perceive not only places but also people, businesses, and relationships. We often freeze individuals in our minds based on past experiences, assuming they remain the same over time. But the truth is, just like we evolve, so do they.
Human nature tends to resist change. There’s comfort in familiarity, in believing that things stay as we left them. However, this is rarely the case. Growth and transformation are constant, even when they aren’t immediately visible. This reflection isn't just personal; it extends to our relationships and professional lives.
We often freeze people and experiences in time, forgetting that they, too, have grown and evolved in business, this concept is especially relevant. Have you ever seen an old colleague or former employee years later, only to realize they’ve grown into a completely different person, more capable, wiser, perhaps even more successful than you expected? It’s easy to judge someone based on who they were in the past rather than who they’ve become. But not recognizing this evolution can lead to missed opportunities and outdated perceptions.
Many business owners make the mistake of treating customers, employees, and even competitors as fixed entities, assuming that their past behavior or performance will dictate their future. But just as individuals change, so do businesses. A struggling company can reinvent itself, a mediocre employee can turn into a top performer, and a once-loyal customer can choose to leave if their needs aren’t met.
Change is inevitable, but embracing it requires intentionality. While it’s easy to reminisce about the past, truly recognizing and adapting to change takes effort. Whether in life or business, clinging to outdated perceptions can hinder progress.
I’ve seen this happen with businesses in our industry. A shop might have had a reputation for slow service or inconsistent work years ago, but after refining their processes, investing in better training, and improving customer service, they’ve transformed. Yet, some customers may still hold onto that past perception. The challenge is to overcome that mindset, both from the business’s perspective and from the customer’s.
It’s not just businesses that struggle with this, leaders do too. Many business owners, myself included, have found themselves stuck in old habits, holding onto operational methods that once worked but no longer served them. Leadership demands growth. If a business owner still manages their team the same way they did ten years ago, they’re likely out of touch with the evolving workforce. Employees today expect a different level of engagement, feedback, and flexibility than they did a decade ago.
Just as I looked at the oil stains in my parents’ driveway and saw the origins of my career, business owners should look at their own history, not as a weight holding them back, but as a foundation for what’s next. Those stains don’t represent failure; they represent a beginning. A company’s mistakes don’t define them; they are the roadmap for the changes that lead to improvement.
