I was talking to a contemporary the other day, a mid-50s Chicago advertising executive who enjoyed success in his earlier days as co-founder of an agency that is now one of the largest independents.  He talked longingly about “the good old days” when media buys were more simple—TV, print and radio, and if the budget allowed, maybe some outdoor or point of purchase. “Now everything is so complicated,” he said.  I bit my tongue because, in my view, his focus on the past dooms him to the world of has-beens—people whose best days have already come and gone.

As the 66-year-old iconic Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld said, “When people talk about the good old days, I say to people, ‘It’s not the days that are old, it’s you that is old.  I hate the good old days.  What is important is that today is good.’”

As people grow older they tend to become more and more resistant to change. Is it any wonder the advertising agency business is dominated by people in their 20s and 30s? The constant changes in technology, media, buying patterns and demographics are what successful brand marketers are continually challenged to understand.

Change is not something to dread or resent.  It should be celebrated and embraced.  For it is change that keeps our lives vibrant and interesting.

As a 50-something marketer, I am invigorated by the changes around me and intellectually challenged to understand those changes so that every day I can become better at my job and more valuable to my clients.

If I ever start longing for the way things were, I’m out of here.  Because I know that is the mental shift that separates the young from the old.  And I don’t plan to be old for a long, long time.