I did it!
I killed ear X-tacy!
And so did you, and you, and you!
I had not been to ear X-tacy since the relocation to the Douglas Loop area. How about you? I kept meaning to go. It’s just things got in the way. Things always got in the way, and now I regret it.
{Michael Windle-Louisville.com wrote about the last days here}
I feel guilty about it’s death. My friends say I’m just grieving, but somehow grieving didn’t cover it, it needed to be more. As I digested the closing of ear X-tacy, I keeping mentally fingering the same question…what can I, what can you take away from this?
4 things you and I can learn and use:
#1 - Do good – John Timmons and all the employees over the years had a mission. It was a singular focus on helping people discover, experience and share music. Before anything else, it was about that feeling, that connection they could provide. It was the good, they could do. “Do good” seems vague, but it’s amazingly adaptable. Find your mission and when faced with a question at work or in life, remember: do good.
#2 – Do Self-Analysis – The situation with ear X-tacy didn’t happen in a week or a month. The signs were there for years. The writing on the wall that now seems obvious was once a blip in a report. The red flags were there. It’s the same for you. Honestly examine your situation. Are you doing the job you love? Are you sharing your life with the person/people that you want? The signs are there, don’t rationalize them away. Act on the warning signals.
{Eve Lee-Louisville.com wrote about why ear X-tacy closed, read it here}
#3 – Don’t Stagnate – ear X-tacy was basically the same business as 20 years ago. While that provided a sense of connectedness to some, it started to alienate others. The music world changed, the store didn’t. Don’t rust. People, by nature, don’t like change. But, the comfort zone becomes the prison of many. So, re-invent yourself. Learn a new skill. Start a blog. Learn Russian. Do something that makes you uncomfortable, it brings growth. Your world, your job, your relationships are changing…are you?
#4 – Don’t just be loved – There is no question that ear X-tacy was loved. Musicians, politicians, magazine writers, they all loved the store. But while those people were busy loving it, ear X-tacy’s target was busy downloading from ITunes. They were streaming on Pandora. While the store had their head in the clouds, the customers were pulling songs from the cloud. It’s not a enough to be a hobby, to be a dalliance. Always remember, don’t just be loved, be valuable.
So this failure, this loss in our shared world, this one is on me. It’s my fault. But the next one…well that’s up to you!
Photos: ear X-tacy logo and WHAS11 screenshot
