Level Up!

Today, I had a rare achievement that happens once a year on average. I leveled up! It's true, thank you! I am so honored to have achieved the Level of 46, Human Being. Some friends commented that my achievement was not an achievement at all, but something called a "birthday" and that it's not really "special" since, by the rules of nature, it happens to everyone no matter what you do or not do. I disagree, it is an achievement.

What if I don't want to say "I am 46 years old?" I don't mean lie and say another age that is "sexier" or more appealing, but what if I want to use a different, more positive term altogether? Think about it: the terminology "years old" is at best nebulously descriptive though the number itself is extremely valuable information. Polite company actually frowns at the mention of the "number" of your age, unless you do the culturally accepted roll of one's eyes simultaneously saying something pithy like "Getting old sucks, right?" to alleviate any discomfort with any fellow human being. As if a number should offend in any way?

Like I was in some D&D or Mario game, every time I heard or read a "Happy Birthday" today, I came back with a "game-ified" response like "Thank you, I leveled up today, Level 46, in fact."

Not for you? Okay, follow me here: Let's say you see an ad for a used Camaro for sale. You want to know a few things about it like the reported condition, color, mileage and, most importantly, its overall age. What year is it? Heck if it's over 25 years old then it's a classic (50 for antique) and can fetch even more on the resale market if it's in great shape. Age, in this case, rocks! However, sometimes age of other inanimate objects is not so rocking, but still important to know. We didn't know how old our cast iron pipes were before they exploded on us full of who-knows-what in the basement. Yeah, that age would have been great information before we bought the house. Apparently, iron rusts or something.

Age, in my opinion, that's used to describe inanimate objects like wine or spirits should not then be used for human beings anymore. I particularly like it when the waiter tells me that a particular small production scotch is 25 years old, aged in blessed pure renaissance era oak barrels from the trees of Neverland made by the direct descendent of King Arthur's fourth nephew on his mother's side! Yum! I don't particularly like when a waiter says, "Oh it's your birthday, you don't look a day older than 40." What does 40 even look like? Nobody likes to be measured by how "old" they are like scotch or broken pipes.

By even stating your age in public it's unknown whether that will be viewed positively or negatively. At 46, I am positing that this particular number neither shuns nor attracts in any measurable way, but I wonder if this piece would be viewed differently if written by a 76 year old. Or, god forbid, a 26 year old. Did you make a judgement right there?

It's okay, we kind of all do it. Waiters do it more than others. I know because I was one for 10 years. We judged everyone.

Plenty of presentations ago when I was strictly in accounts, we would walk or zoom into a room to present to clients or whomever a detailed background of our agency and our scope of capabilities and, invariably, we would extol the years of experience we have in great fanfare.

"Our firm has over 300 years of combined digital experience utilizing data to drive actionable results, solving for your needs while effectively launching well-searched website experiences for companies like yours." Or some other word salad mess like that.

No one ever said, "Three of us are over 40, two execs hit 50 this year, our CEO is a grandparent at 62 and the rest of the team are filled with 'millennials' and 'gen zers' basically cutting their teeth on their first assignment. So it's like a Thanksgiving dinner of talent here. Lots of various ages and something for everyone!" It's simple really.

Age of people - uncomfortable. Level of experience - comfortable.

A case can be made that certain age demographics come into play when it comes to understanding those of that ilk. For sure, a client may say, "I really want someone who gets the 18-35 demo so they should be in that range." Fair enough. And. this isn't a judgment piece about which generation gets it or doesn't. Having various leveled team members keys up more opportunities. But, those at the higher levels with more experience should be highlighted in any situation. I used to love when a boss would say something like, "I've been working this vertical in various roles for 25 years." The sweet air of that experience lingered throughout the call and always positively contributed to a sale.

Convinced yet? Look, even saying Level 46 isn't per se a "milestone level" like 50, 75 or even 100, but it's got some teeth to it and, I believe, has an air of respect to the experience behind it. It's uplifting to say it. It's funny and it's true.

What if stating that number always elicited a positive response? Would you start using that phrase now? In lieu of saying the status quo phrase "x years old", take the challenge with me to forever highlight your years you have had on earth with experience. What level are you?

So, today, I am a Level 46 Human Being. Pretty fucking awesome, right?