In a constantly changing environment, those unable to adapt will eventually die. This law of nature is not only applicaple to the modern business world, it grows more relevant to your business every day. We’ve managed to increase the evolutionary pace of nature through global warming. The increase is however dwarfed by our exponential technological evolution.
Technology feeds on technology. Thanks to this exponential digital evolution, the rate at which an idea can take you from nothing to a billion dollar industry and back to nothing is immensly faster than ever before. And it’s not slowing down. Our collective social data and hardware performance doubles about every two years. I believe all buinesses needs to embrace this kind of change if they want to stick around.
“Microsoft is always two years away from failure.”
Bill Gates
Even thought we know that we have to adapt, we’re genetically programmed to fear the unknown, to fear change and find comfort in the familiar. Fear is sometimes what keeps us safe and sometimes what holds us back from our true potential. Younger kids haven’t really had time to fully grow and develop logical fear yet. When they have an impulse, no matter how unreasonable, they often act on it immidiately as if nothing can stop them.
At any given crossroad or decision, our inner subconcious voice of reason (our autopilot) will tell us to choose the most familiar route ahead. Whether it’s a new way to get to work, that new brand at the store or walking up to talk to a person you deeply admire in your profession. The longer you stand in the intersection of your decision the more drowned the less familiar choise will be by your subconsious autopilot.
I believe a key to breaking the old pattern is speed. First the creative part of your brain comes up with an idea, then the logical part starts rationalizing it away until the idea feels completely unreasonable. The next time you have a creative impulse to do something challenging and scary; you should make a habit of acting before it’s too late.
