We need to step away every now and then
John Foust
Aug 1, 2025
On our honeymoon, my wife and I went to Ogunquit, Maine, which we used as a home base to explore towns along Maine’s southern coast. Years before we met, we had each been to that area, but this was our first trip to Maine together. One of the places we visited was Cape Neddick, where one of the most recognized lighthouses in North America is located.
The Nubble Light is situated on a rock island about 100 yards off the tip of the cape (depending on the tides), in view of York Beach. When we arrived, the light was completely fogged in. “The lighthouse is right there,” I said. “Are you sure? I don’t see a thing,” she said. “Yep,” I encouraged her, “it’s right there.”
When it was time for lunch, we went to Fox’s Restaurant at the edge of the parking lot. We settled in at our table at a window facing the direction of the lighthouse. Still fogged in.
As we dined on lobster rolls, fries and Pepsis — the best lunch we’ve ever had — she glanced out the window and said, “There it is! It’s right there!” Sure enough, the fog had lifted in an instant, and the glorious Nubble was “right there” at the end of the parking lot.
That’s one of our favorite memories, and we still talk about it as a special honeymoon gift. Sometimes, if we’re looking for something around the house or searching for a street sign, one of us will say, “It’s right there!”
The question to consider today is: What’s blocking the view? For us it was ocean fog. For you it might be something else.
Let’s think about the advertising industry. What are the things that prevent us from seeing clearly? Is it the routine processes that are in place, because “we’ve always done it that way”? Is it the get-it-done-now crush of deadlines? Is it the insistence of a client who is not open to new ideas?
Whatever the case, this is something we have to deal with if we want to be more effective. First of all, it helps to know what’s behind the fog. When my wife and I visited the Nubble Light, I knew from experience that there was a lighthouse inside all that fog. Then she was a first-hand witness when the fog lifted. We left with the certainty that there was, indeed, a lighthouse right there.
We need to step away from the fog every now and then to do some thinking about what’s causing the rut of routines, the deadlines that negatively impact creativity or the client who resists new ideas.
Once we identify a specific problem area, we can focus on possible answers. It’s important to think in specifics, not vague impressions. For example, “The current way of processing orders is delaying some ad placements,” is better than “Our processing system is bad.”
That’s a step in the right direction — one way to cut through the fog and see the light. © Copyright 2025 by John Foust. All rights reserved.
John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. Email for information: john@johnfoust.com
