Our entire life is impacted by words. They influence our moods, attitudes, blood pressure, self-image, emotions and actions. Words can inspire us, give us confidence and indeed words of loving, kindness and compassion can help heal us, while cruel words can hurt us. Of course, not all words are created equally. Words can incite and divide us. For example, words like hate, war, death, gangs, cruelty and abuse have a profound effect on all of us.

“Words have set whole nations in motion … give me the right word and the right accent and I will move the world.” – Joseph Conrad

As I give thought to the power of words, I am in awe of their power to connect us, to calm us and to affect change, which brings to mind the word “freedom.” Given the world we live in today, this powerful word evokes strong emotion, and, yes, concern.

Freedom: “The state of being free or a liberty rather than in confinement or under restraint.”

This leads me to the automotive aftermarket. We have all been on a long business trip (in the middle seat). After an hour into the flight, you have attempted to work (difficult – given the space allowed for an adult), then you read some article in the airline magazine, boredom sets in at this point, so one of your seatmates starts a conversation with you and during the dialogue, you are asked, “What do you do for a living?" or "What industry are you in?”

You reply proudly, “I work in the automotive aftermarket.”

Your fellow passenger responds with, “That is interesting,” as their eyes glaze over or as I experienced on a recent trip, a young attorney from Philadelphia says, “Oh, you are the guys that sell used car parts!” I emotionally retorted, “Not really!!!” And then went into a long and detailed explanation of how the automotive aftermarket started, the complexity of our distribution, parts proliferation and our mantra, "TO HAVE THE RIGHT QUALITY PART, IN THE RIGHT PLACE, AT THE RIGHT PRICE," when the American motorists and professional service providers need them!

The gentleman from Philly appeared impressed with the importance of our industry and stated that he had no idea the impact our industry has on the U.S. economy. The lawyer specialized in bankruptcy law, so I learned more than I needed to know about business bankruptcy (hopefully).

After I deplaned, I reflected on the conversation, and the role of the automotive aftermarket. A couple of words kept coming into my brain, IMPACT and FREEDOM.

The Power of Impact
The essence of the word impact, the noun or verb, is the same – it is the powerful or dramatic force or effect that something or somebody has on something or someone else. There is nothing passive about impact. It is a word that clearly describes what all of us who toil in our industry do every day! On a daily basis, we navigate unexpected challenges to better serve our key stakeholders. This brings me back to the powerful word: FREEDOM!

Ponder this: The automotive aftermarket and the automobile provide the American motorists the freedom of movement. The car or truck is the most practical and democratic transportation mode in our history! Each day, millions of Americans go to work, to the store, to the baseball field and the dentist’s office – they go when they want to go, when they need to go – in a reasonable amount of time. How is that for freedom?

Our industry is indeed part of the modern American culture, by keeping cars and trucks safely on the road. Our industry enables Americans to live where they want to live and thus pursue their preferred lifestyles. Most Americans are only minutes away from medical care. We are a mobile society – the automobile gives us a greater choice for employees to select workers and provides employees with a greater choice of jobs – in essence – FREEDOM!

The automotive aftermarket is critical to today’s American lifestyle … and our standard of living.

The automobile and the automotive aftermarket have indeed opened new vistas in the United States. Most Americans can spend a weekend in the mountains or swimming at the shore or lake with only a short travel time. Most of us use our cars when we travel longer distances on vacations.

Truth be told, we are crazy about our cars, and always have been. In 1948, William Faulkner lamented in "Intruder in the Dust," that “The American really loves nothing but his automobile!”

Today, there are more than 200 million cars in the United States. The automotive aftermarket strives each day to ensure that these cars get the parts they need, when they need them.

Americans cherish independence, freedom of mobility, the power to choose and rugged individualism, and the automobile is the vehicle of personal democracy!

So, a suggestion if I may: The next time someone asks you to explain the automotive aftermarket, share with them our connection to American freedom of movement!

Without question, the automobile continues to retain a firm hold over our passion and psyche. It clearly represents a metaphor for what all Americans value! FREEDOM is the ability to be spontaneous and have freedom of movement.

The American automotive aftermarket proudly and humbly supports the American motorist each day!

So the next time you hear the words IMPACT and FREEDOM, what will you think about?