Happy weekend. Grab your coffee, settle in, and let’s dive into this week’s three big questions.
1. Nostalgia: Rose-Tinted Specs or Genuine Fun?
We’ve all done it.
We look at the modern world—with its hyper-connectivity, complex tech, and delivery drivers dropping everything to our doorsteps—and we sigh for the “good old days.”
But let’s take off the rose-tinted spectacles for a second and look at the reality. (I will come back to instant shopping in a minute.)
I distinctly remember my parents’ first house. Luxury it was not.
We are talking about an outdoor toilet that was a test of endurance in January, and a tin bath that had to be dragged inside and filled manually.
If you weren’t first in the water queue, let’s just say it wasn’t exactly a spa experience.
My kids don’t believe this particular story, however, it is completely true.
Renovations had to be saved up for, and in my 6-year-old memory, the bathroom took forever to resemble something similar to what we would expect now.
Which brings me to a conversation I had with one of my lovely grandchildren. It went something like this:
“What are you doing?”
“I’m looking through some old photographs of when I was about your age.”
“But some are in black and white, and the colour ones are really weird. Were your parents blind?”
Now, this is where kids have a fantastic way of telling the truth.
Because I’m not sure if she was talking about the avocado bathroom suite we had waited so long for, the bright orange flowers on the wallpaper, the horrendous matching clothes my two younger brothers and I had to endure every time we went out, or the horrendous basin-cut hairstyles.
This was the trigger that started me thinking about memories and nostalgia.
Was it actually “more fun” back then? Or are we just romanticising a time when our joints didn’t ache and our biggest responsibility was being home before the streetlamps came on?
The truth is, the fun wasn’t in the lack of plumbing, the weird psychedelic colours, or the haircuts—it was the freedom. We didn’t have algorithms competing for our attention. We had imagination, a football, and a neighbourhood to explore.
So while I will gladly leave the tin bath in the history books, maybe we can carry a bit of that uncomplicated, offline freedom into our weekends today.
Finally, let’s get back to instant shopping. Amazon and the like have undoubtedly made life easier.
No aching legs, no hunting for a parking space, and no carrying armfuls of shopping bags back to the car.
But what have we quietly given up in return?
The smell of a good department store. Stopping for a coffee halfway through the afternoon. Repartee with the assistant while buying a new suit or trying the latest Hugo aftershave.
Patiently (or not so patiently) sitting outside another changing room while your wife tries on what feels like every dress within a five-mile radius.
Mind you, online shopping has its downsides too.
I seem to have a wardrobe full of clothes that looked perfect on the screen but somehow don’t fit in real life.
They sit there for months because I never quite get round to sending them back.
Maybe that’s the point about nostalgia.
It isn’t that shopping itself was better. It’s that, somewhere along the way, buying something stopped being an outing and became a transaction.
2. Dealing with Failure and Disappointment in Your 60s
In my line of work as a business advisor, you quickly learn a sobering truth: you witness just as many failures as you do successes. You can analyse the data, build the perfect strategy, and lead the horse directly to the water—but you absolutely cannot make him drink it.
When you hit your 60s, your relationship with failure changes dramatically.
Looking back at my younger years, I flat-out refused to accept failure. Why? Because like most young men, I was plagued by the absolute certainty that I was always right.
It’s a funny cycle. I see my 18-year-old grandson navigating the exact same mindset today.
He’s convinced the world has it in for him, frustrated that he isn’t earning top dollar yet, and convinced that things should just happen faster.
It’s easy to look at the younger generation and think, “They want it all handed to them on a plate.” But then I catch myself, smile, and remember: where have I heard that before? We were exactly the same.
The real gift of navigating disappointment in your 60s is perspective.
- In your 20s and 30s, failure feels like an identity—it defines you.
- In your 60s, failure is just feedback. It’s an occurrence, not a reflection of your worth.
We now have the mileage to know that a setback is rarely fatal.
When a plan falls through or a project misses the mark, we don’t take it as a personal insult from the universe. We just look at the horse, shrug, and go look for one that’s actually thirsty.
And remember this: if you try something and it doesn’t work, a lot of people I talk to think they have failed.
My answer is simply this: you tried, and it didn’t work out this time. Failure would have been not trying.
Have a fantastic weekend. What are your memories of the “good old days”—and do you actually miss them? Let me know in the comments.
3. The September Getaway: The Balearics vs. The Greek Islands
September is our favourite time for travel. The school crowds have vanished, the intense summer heat has mellowed into something perfectly warm, and the sea is at its absolute best.
If you are plotting a late-season European break, two major contenders usually top the list. How do they stack up?
The Balearics (Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza)
- The Vibe: Effortless and sophisticated.
- The Travel: A short, breezy flight from the UK (around 2 to 2.5 hours), making it incredibly accessible.
- The Highlights: Beyond the bustling resorts lie stunning rugged coastlines, world-class dining, and historic stone villages. It is perfect if you want great seafood, excellent infrastructure, and a quick transit.
The Greek Islands (Crete, Corfu, Rhodes)
- The Vibe: Timeless, slow-paced, and deeply cultural.
- The Travel: A bit more of a commitment (closer to 4 hours), but worth every minute.
- The Highlights: Unmatched history, crystal-clear Aegean waters, and a slower pace of life that forces you to unwind. The food is simple, fresh, and legendary.
The Verdict
If you want a quick, seamless transition to a sun lounger with great gastronomy, head West to the Balearics.
If you want a deeper, sun-drenched escape where the days stretch out lazily, head East to Greece.
Drop your email below for my curated PDF recommendations on fantastic 5-star hotels that will help you create the getaway you need.
Coming Up This Week on Ropho
Monday – Business
Think your business is failing? It might not be.
Sometimes sales haven’t disappeared—they’ve simply slowed down.
We’ll look at why that happens, how to spot the real bottleneck, and how a few small changes can help your business find its momentum again.
I’ll also show you how to use my Business Health Dashboard to identify where you’re getting stuck.
Wednesday – Lifestyle & Finance
What happens when your pension figures aren’t quite what you hoped for?
Rather than panic, we’ll explore practical ways to rethink retirement income, make informed decisions, and focus on what you can control.
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