Mitch's World: Stockbrokers & Wet Infants

Mitch’s World: Stockbrokers & Wet Infants

Like it or not, change is an unavoidable factor in everything we do. This month, Mitch Schneider makes a major change as he begins his new affiliation with Counterman.

What do stockbrokers and wet infants have in common? They are the only two types of people on the planet who welcome change! My wife is neither and she absolutely hates change! In fact, she resists it whenever she can. But, then again, most people do.

I don’t like change any more than the next guy; I’ve just reconciled myself to the fact that it’s going to occur whether I like it or not. My wife, on the other hand, refuses to deal with it. She’s had the same husband for 36 years (me), the same hair dresser for 28 years and the same house for more than 33 years! When it comes to change, she just won’t move and I don’t really blame her.

Moving is, after all, the most profound kind of change. It forces us to reflect not only on where we are and where we’ve been, but on where we are headed as well. Moving compels us to gather up all our stuff and then decide what to keep and what to leave behind.

I’ve been a part of this industry for my entire lifetime. It is an integral part of my genetic code. I’ve been working as a professional technician and a shop owner for just under 40 years. And, I’ve been an industry spokesperson, a trade journalist and an educator for more than two decades.

Over those past 20 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to share with the industry my life, my thoughts and my experiences on both sides of the parts counter. And, for only the second time since I started writing to this industry, I’ve packed up all my stuff and decided to move again, this time to Counterman and several of its sister publications.

Moving has forced me to think a lot about what to bring and what to leave behind. I’ve decided to leave anything that can’t be converted into something good, something positive, something to help make your life and mine a little better, a little easier. I’ve left those other things in the past where they belong. I don’t need them and neither do you.

That doesn’t mean I won’t talk about things almost guaranteed to make us both uncomfortable, like the changes we need to accept, promote or resist. I will. I have to. Our future success and mutual survival depend on it.

I’ll try not to bring any preconceived notions, negative paradigms, prejudices or stereotypes with me if you promise to leave them behind as well. We need to focus on a better future, not a crippled past.

I promise to bring a deep commitment to serve, a profound respect for this industry and my place in it and a passion for honesty: They have served me well over the years. I’m bringing my sense of humor, as twisted as it may be. It’s gotten me through more trouble than it’s gotten me into! And, I’ll bring the same endless curiosity that has made me a student of all things automotive, as well as an appreciation for those who work so hard to leave this industry better in some way than they found it.

I’ve moved to this magazine to join an incredibly talented group of professionals, all of whom seem dedicated to the same high principals I hold dear, and quite frankly I can’t wait to get started. So, stop by and spend a little time with me each month. I promise to make you as comfortable as I can while you’re a guest in my world; unless, of course, it becomes necessary for us to confront the uncomfortable topic of change.

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