getting older...

One of the things I love about Steelcase is the ability that I, as an intern, have to meet with top management and get to know people at the top. There is such an open atmosphere in that regard and I witnessed it first hand this week.

A few of my fellow Turnstone interns and I were able to set up a meeting with the president of the company, just because, and it was wonderful. I think my generation is prone to think that older men in suits are all business and no fun, but that simply isn't true.

As we were talking with the president, I asked him how he stays innovative and creative after being in the same position for so long, working 8-5, and let's be honest, with office furniture. I mean, how do you keep office furniture interesting?

He replied by talking about his biggest fear: getting old. He asked us if we thought 'old' was an age thing or a mindset. We all agreed it was a mindset thing, that you are old when you think you're old, and more than that, when you stop thinking, exploring, and trying new things. Being old is when you're stuck in the same pattern and when you make the decision to stop thinking about new things, to keep listening to the same music and to think you know all there is to know.

I can think of numerous people my age who are 'old'. They have traded the hard, invigorating work of exploring and learning for complacency and a staleness. Honestly, it may be easier to think you know everything, to do things you've always done, but it is certainly not as rewarding. There is something about finding a new way, learning a new song, finding a new routine that is so revolutionary that it was worth the time and effort spent learning.

This idea is so inspiring to me. I am 'young' and have ideas and innovations that I don't even know that I have. How can I challenge people and bring new ideas to keep those I'm working with from growing 'old'? Because, at the end of the day, isn't this what we're all afraid of? We're afraid of the day when we don't know why we have structured our life the way it is because we only did so since it was convenient. We're afraid of the day when a new technology comes along and we don't want to take the time to figure it out. Therefore we owe it to each other to keep one another young, to keep challenging each other, learning things about our world and each other, and ultimately keep innovation and creativity flowing, because that is the wellspring of wisdom.