In this informal monologue, Tom reflects on living in a modern era where personalization is the norm, using his birthday experience with Jeni's cucumber sorbet ice cream as a vivid illustration of uniqueness. He highlights how services like Netflix, Amazon, and Google fulfill individual preferences, and argues that both individuals and businesses must strive to be "one of a kind" to stand out. Tom challenges listeners to consider how they can differentiate themselves in their careers and lives, inviting feedback on navigating this uniquely personalized world.
Chapters
Hey guys, it's Tom. You know, I probably don't need to tell any of you guys this, but we live in a really fascinating time, don't we? We're living at a time when it's possible for us to get so many things that we want, when we want them, in ways we want them, that it's sometimes hard to remember what it was like before. Times like this. Let me, let me tell you what I mean. This past weekend is my birthday, by the way, and I, we had a party, and one of the things we had at the party was some ice cream. Now, my daughter lives in Ohio, and in Ohio, in Columbus, Ohio, in fact, there's this, there's this company, and it's called Jenny's. Now, Jenny's has tremendously, uh, uh, just delicious ice creams. But look at this flavor. This is called Cucumber Sorbet. Now, have you ever had cucumber sorbet ice cream? I didn't think so. I hadn't had cucumber sorbet ice cream or sorbet either until this weekend. But it's delicious and it is distinctive. In fact, All of the flavors at Jenny's are one of a kind. Now, it's really important today that we be one of a kind and that what we deliver is one of a kind because each of us wants things that are one of a kind. Think about it. Do you want to have the same thing that anybody else has today? Probably not. I don't. I want everything to be slightly just what I want, just what I want, and I want it to be just the way I want it to be. Why? Because I've come to expect that if I want a book, I can find exactly the book that I want. If I want to find a movie, I can find exactly the movie I want because my friends at Netflix are going to be able to help me get it, just like my friends at Amazon are going to help me get the book that I want. If I want a, if I want a piece of information, my friends at Google are going to help me to get that information. Doesn't matter if nobody else ever asked for that information. I want it. It's important to me. Living in a one-of-a-kind world is a tremendous challenge to every individual, not just every business. Think about yourself. You're in— you have a career. Do you want to be the same as the person in the next cubicle next to you? Probably not. You want, in order to really get somewhere, today. In order to really become something, you need to be one of a kind. You need to be special. So I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts about living in a one-of-a-kind world. I know that the folks at Jeni's Ice Cream, who, you know, I would expect some little cut now, or at least some free ice cream, but the folks at Jeni's Ice Cream in Columbus, Ohio, these folks get it. They understand that what we're living in today is a one-of-a-kind world. And I hope you get it. I get it. I know that each of us has got to be distinctive today. So, um, love to hear your thoughts about what it's like for you living in this one-of-a-kind world. And, um, see you soon. Take care. Bye.
