“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”
~ John Wooden
You’ve likely said at one time or another, “I’m not changing my style to that“! or “You won’t catch me there!” or “I’m happy with what I’m using and I won’t consider changing it!” It is human nature to become comfortable with the old and resist the new but changes, specifically technological and generational need to be acknowledged if you don’t want to be left behind. Fighting it is simply a waste of energy because “resistance is futile!”
Fuelling this era of change are the amazing advances in technology. In your grandparents or great grandparents day, the centre of information was attending a one room school or gathering around the family radio. It was not so long ago that an entire room needed to be allocated to house one computer and today that same computer is small enough to carry around with us wherever we go. We find ourselves searching for the remote control to turn on the TV, radio or stereo, texting or emailing on our cell phones and our computers provide access to all of that and more. Before you know it social media will be the top venue for communicating, email will become obsolete and there will no longer be a need to maintain a hard drive.
As few as two generations ago, changes from one generation to the next were not nearly as significant as today. Communication was limited and families were more isolated, tight-knit and focused on tradition. The vast amount of information available today and the opportunity to easily connect with others have influenced millions of people creating a stronger desire and curiosity to learn, experience change and embrace all that is new! The most recent example is the new IPhone; “Apple sells more than 1.7 million iPhone 4s in the first 3 days…”. Statistics also show no generation is completely left behind in the age demographics for the 500 million users on Facebook, 100 million on Twitter or 70 million on Linkedin. Will generation Y be aware that previous generations were resistant to change?
Don’t be left behind! Your success whether professionally or socially is strongly influenced by your willingness to embrace change. Resistance or fear of change will negatively impact your ability but acceptance of change will provide the most positive element in your life.