It’s not too late to still make some New Year’s Resolutions, as Bob Quick suggests in this week’s Programming To Win column. Quick opts for optimism in his first column of 2014, and shares a, tale from his life outside of radio.
Bob Quick
By Bob Quick
Last year when I wrote the first article of the New Year for FMQB, I did the traditional “New Year’s Resolutions” theme…
Admit it, you all ignored me.
Well, another year has gone by and we, as an industry, are facing much of the same challenges we did last year. I could go back and re-hash all the “doom and gloom” most prognosticators among us have been doing for the last 12 months.
Yuk. That’s no way to start a new year.
I have a 7 year-old, and when he asked to buy an electric guitar with his own money so that he could start taking lessons…well, I’ve never been prouder or happier. You see, I once had LONG hair. I mean, “Old ladies think you’re a girl,” shoulder-blade length, straight…brown…hair.
Many of us did in the spandex wrapped, hair-band ‘80s.
I told him if he learned to play the guitar, so would I.
“Dad, where did you get THAT!”
It blew his mind when I pulled an electric guitar out of a box in the attic. (The old man’s got a few tricks left in him.)
I hate to tell him, but his mini-Strat is much cooler than mine, even though mine is signed by Duran Duran. (Thanks, Jeff Davis.)
You see, I’ve ALWAYS wanted to play the guitar. I just never took the time
We’re having a ball. He’s a kick to watch learn, it’s fun to play all those songs you love, and my wife is even impressed with me for the first time in years. Chicks love rock stars.
So, that’s it.
Do something new, for you in 2014. Choose whatever turns you on. But make it about you. We all get so tied up in our jobs; we forget that we need a break to clear our minds out. We get so consumed with our jobs and the state of this industry. With small staffs and doing the work of three people, it’s easier now than ever to burn out and begin to hate what we once loved so much. It’s one of the many reasons that we’ve lost so many talented people in this industry.
And I don’t want to lose you too. Happy New Year.
Bob Quick has never worked for one of the big companies, not that he is opposed to it. But he still has made a good living for him and his family over the last 25 years and 10 different owners. He believes that positive thinking, a good work ethic, and a passion for what you do is the key to a long career in radio. If you’d like advice on your specific situation feel free to contact him at bob@quickradioconsulting.com or at 706-358-9103.
