While running errands the other day I pulled into a McDonald's for a couple of breakfast burritos and a cup of coffee. As I waited in line I saw signs for products I've never even heard of. To me, McDonalds has always been geared towards kids. But in recent years they've began to go after parents and other adults. A quick scan of their menu shows "Premier Coffee," all sorts of salads, and lots of roll up things for those who are watching their weight.
Even their designs are more modern and gone are the McDonald's colors of old (orange and yellow). I haven't seen a likeness of Ronald McDonald in a store in a long time. They've somehow managed to change their look to be more adult-friendly, while at the same time not losing their kid appeal.
McDonalds has not only found a way to adapt, but they've found a way to thrive even though everything in our culture seems to be changing. They are still just a cheap hamburger place, but they've become so much more and in the process they've changed enough to stay relevant.
As I waited for my food I wondered if I have done the same. People aren't companies and I'm not all that sure that we're supposed to adapt to every little trend that comes along, but maybe for people the adaptation process is similar to the way we relate to others as we mature. When we are young, we tend to be selfish. As we grow older, we begin to appreciate the help that parents, friends, teachers, and loved ones gave us along the way and we want to be like them. So we begin to give back. Then it seems like we hit a certain age and begin to get set in our ways. Maybe it's because we've been wounded or burned, I don't know. But we revert back to our youth and become selfish again.
That's the point in which we have to decide whether we're going to be focused on others (our "customers") or ourselves. Businesses that don't meet the needs of their customers tend to die. People who live for themselves tend to die inside. They stop finding a reason to get out of bed because self-indulgence doesn't seem all that appealing when taken to its logical end.
That's not somebody I ever want to become--even though I'm sure I've been close to it at times in my life. So, I'll continue to try to adapt, and to change, and to improve without giving much thought to the dying naked, cold, and alone part of the equation.
