Most people have heard by now that Bob Barker officially retired after 35 years of hosting The Price is Right, and after a total of 50 years in show business. However, you may not realize that there is a great lesson to be learned from that story!
Today’s world is a far different place than it was more than 30 years ago during the beginning of The Price is Right era, but I am not just referring to new technology and new genres of gaming.
I was thinking more about things such as consistency, personal pride, and professional bearing. Those kinds of traits have been shared by many successful people over the years, yet they are in much shorter supply today than they were 35 years ago.
Astute students of the human condition, however, take advantage of opportunities to learn from the lives of others, and although I can’t admit to having done a complete case study on Bob Parker, I can see how those 3 quality traits are demonstrated by his story.
Consistency
How many people do you know who have had the same job for 35 years? Our economy is certainly drastically different than it used to be, but do you really believe that economic change is solely responsible for the shortening of a person’s “life-span” at any given job? Retiring with a company after 30 or more years has become all but non-existent in today’s society.
Sure, the economy has a lot to do with it, as does a much better understanding of our short and long-term rights and obligations as members of the work force.
However, that same freedom has also spawned a level of pandering to the needs of the individual so much that people have come to believe that their “rights” supersede the greater good where they work.
Yes, everyone’s rights should be respected; I’m not saying otherwise. However, I am saying that you cannot scream about your rights to live your life in whatever manner you see fit while at work, and yet expect your employer to cater to your individual needs for 30 or more years.
Are you familiar with the saying about how the squeaky wheel gets the most attention? It refers to a nagging customer or client getting what they want because they constantly badger service or product suppliers until those suppliers give in just to keep the peace.
Well, that same attitude can allow you to squeak your way right out of a job when you start taking unnecessary advantage of your “rights”. People need to remember that if they want the security of a 30+ year pension, then they need to spend 30+ years consistently looking out for their employer’s best interests.
Personal Pride
I’m sure that I’m not the only person who noticed that Bob Barker is in damn good shape for someone who is retiring after 50 years in show business!
Now, although there may be have been some legal agreement between him and the show that spoke of his need to stay healthy (doubtful), it is more likely that Bob simply cared about his health and wanted to enjoy his life without letting his health and vitality fall by the wayside.
That man did daily shows for 35 years straight and he obviously still managed to take the necessary diet and/or exercise steps in order to maintain a high level of health.
Whenever you are seen by hundreds of thousands of people everyday and you manage to lead by example for more than 3 decades, my hat is officially off to you.
Professional Bearing
Was Bob Barker ever in Rehab? Did he ever land behind bars? Was he ever involved in a DUI? Did he ever lose his cool and hit someone with a telephone, kick a paparazzi, or get caught with drugs at the airport?
Now again, I don’t know Bob’s entire life history, but then again, I don’t need to. Even if he had been involved in any of the types of activities listed above, he obviously cleaned up his act and got back on the straight and narrow (see ‘consistency‘ above).
Most of today’s celebrities will be lucky to make it through 5 years without being rocked by one scandal or another, to say nothing of 35 years!
Was it always a total cake walk for Bob Barker? Was his life so easy that he never saw the need to engage in the type of living on the edge behavior that ends up splashed across the tabloids?
I seriously doubt that his life was nothing but wine and caviar, but whether it was or it wasn’t, Bob maintained his professional bearing on a consistent basis throughout his career. He was paid to be a professional game show host, and that is exactly the role that he filled – with extreme success, in fact.
So what can we all learn from Bob Barker and The Price is Right story?
When you consistently maintain a reasonable level of personal pride while showing an adequate amount of professional bearing, success is yours for the taking!
No, every person is not going to have a game show to host, a real estate empire to rule, or a fortune handed to them by simply being born into the right family.
However, every person can attain success by being consistent, taking care of themselves, and professionally doing whatever it is that they are paid to do.
And that’s a free bit of advice that you don’t have to win during the showcase showdown! 🙂