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Make Change a Positive
Force
Sometimes things change and are never
the same again. Learn how to read the handwriting on the wall, know when
changes are coming, and cash in on them before anyone else.
Do you pity the old guy standing in the
line up at the bank, just to pay his phone bill? He probably has a
twenty minute wait, simply because he doesn't, "get it."
Yes, when banks started allowing you to pay utility bills, it was a
great leap forward. Then came the ATM (automated teller machines).
Suddenly there were a lot more people paying at the machine and a lot
less tellers.
Hot on the heals of the ATM was paying bills by phone. In the last
couple of years, paying the bills via online banking. Even fewer tellers
were required, because fewer people were standing in line.
But if you didn't adapt to the ATM, or paying by phone, or to internet
banking, you still need to go to the bank and stand in line. That's the
core of the digital revolution and evolution. Things change. You either
"get it" or stand in line.
Think about your job, your company, what you provide for a second. Can
it be automated, digitized, made wireless, done by remote control, or
put on the internet using broadband technologies? If it can, you have
two choices. Either adapt or become extinct.
Considering the thousands of years of human history, it was only 101
years ago, that the first Ford Model A rolled off the assembly line. The
Ford Motor Company was incorporated in 1903, and started trading on July
13th. On that day, the first three motor cars were sold. Now its a
billion dollar industry. You don't see many horses on the road anymore.
In the same year, Wilber and Orville flew the world's first powered
airplane at Kitty Hawk on Dec 17 1903. Orville flew the Wright Flyer
about 120 feet, in about 12 seconds. Think about that, next time you sit
in a multi million dollar jet, flown and totally controlled by
computers. It was only 101 years ago. Now its a billion dollar industry.
If you ask Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft Corporation, "The Wright
Brothers created the single greatest cultural force since the invention
of writing. The airplane became the first world wide web, bringing
people, languages, ideas, and values together."
Gee, imagine that, in just a few years, we've learned that the earth is
not flat, how to fly, build and drive cars, and compress billions of
transistors on the head of a pin.
I know the feeling of change. They laughed at me in 1988, when I told
them the computer would revolutionize the graphic industry. They laughed
at me in 1993, when I told them the internet was the most important
communications tool since the printing press. They laughed at me in
1995, when I told them PDF would change the face of publishing forever.
As you can see, I get laughed at a lot. I'm always on the leading edge
or leaping ledge as some people call it. But they're not laughing now.
Especially those who lost their jobs, because they refused to adapt and
change.
To people who say, "That's the way we've always done it around here. You
can't teach an old dog new tricks. My granddaddy was a blank, my father
was a blank, and I'm gonna be a... " What??? Unemployed? Untrainable?
Unemployable?
Sorry, you either embrace technology or get left behind. (At the very
least, you'll be standing in a very, very, very long line up of other
people that don't "get it" either.) Or better yet, ask yourself the
question, "What will happen, if I don't change?" Hmmm, something to
ponder.
Now before you go saying, "Yea it's easy for you Campbell." No way dude!
Computers didn't exist when I graduated high school. The ones that did
used punch cards and filled entire floors of office buildings. Canada -
where I live - switched to the metric system, throwing pounds, miles and
gallons out the window. But I went back and learned computers and the
metric system on my own. So what I'm trying to say is...
More and more, the quality our lives, and how much leisure time we have,
will depend on how quickly we adapt and learn new technologies, to grow
into them, and integrate them as part of our lives.
We will need to "wear" the technology, as information flows through and
around us, from our homes, to our portables, to our cars, into the
office, and as we freely walk about. (I just hope they have a good
manual with plenty of pictures. ;-)
Look at all this amazing stuff in our lives; computers, remote control
everything, robotics, digitizers, PVRs, wireless networks, camera
phones, webcams, MP3 players, GPS systems, online banking, streaming
video on demand.... my life is totally digital and there's no end in
sight. I've read more user manuals in the past year, than I've read in
the previous ten. I choose to adapt, rather than become extinct.
According to George F. Colony, CEO of Forrester Research, "In the future
there will be no medium -- a piece of plastic or a spool of tape that
will contain film or music content. The DVD is the last digital medium
for film -- beyond it lies no medium.
Music or film will be just another pile of bits sitting undifferentiated
alongside bank account statements, credit card information, voice mail,
email, and other data that will freely slosh around in a consumer's
life. There's no "there" there in the future."
Well, what about those people who don't want to learn new things, or are
lazy, or think it's too hard? According to the IBM TV commercials. "Get
it, or get in line." Sound familiar by now?
According to Dr. Spencer Johnston, "If you do not change, you can become
extinct. Get out of your comfort zone and adapt to change sooner. Take
control, rather than let things happen to you."
According to Forrester, "Stop the denial. Get over it, get on with it,
figure it out. Or end up in the dustbin of history with sheet music
publishers."
And speaking of music, everyone's heard about Apple's Music Store. For
only a buck a song (you don't need to buy the whole CD) you can download
only what you like, and immediately play it on your computer, or iPod
MP3 player. With instant downloadable music and video on demand, could
this be the end of the "record store" and "video rental store" as we
know it?
And speaking of video, according to Forrester, nearly 1 billion internet
users will have video by the end of 2005. Are you getting a head start
on the competition? Can you grab even 1% of that market (10 million
customers) if you start now?
Let me repeat something you've already read, "Stop the denial. Get over
it, get on with it, figure it out. Or end up in the dustbin of history."
So am I telling you this to scare you, or make you nervous? Heavens no.
I hope to inspire you. To look to the future for opportunities that
other people will miss. Here is a metaphor that will explain what I'm
talking about.
Is there a festival being planned in that park - down the road - near
your home? I'll bet you could sell a lot of hot dogs and soda, if you
got there first and set up your stand early. Sounds a little like what
Mark Twain tried to tell us over 100 years ago, "Find out where the
people are going, and get there first."
With all this new technology coming out, it's a wonderful time we live
in, and the opportunities are everywhere. Heard about any new stuff
coming out? Is that what your website is about? Are there affiliate
programs you can join? Are you going to provide information and help
people make their buying decision?
Hmm, helping people for a commission, sounds like a heck of a
sustainable business model. Want to know whats coming? Start reading the
news feeds. Particularly the technology and science ones. It's simple...
Go to your favorite search engine and look for an RSS newsreader.
Download one and install it on your computer.
Then go to www.newsisfree.com
and start subscribing to services like Forbes, Red Herring,
CNET News & Personal Tech, ACM Tech, New Scientist, Business Week,
Internetnews, Slashdot and Wired. You are about to discover the future
and everything that is yet to come.
My advice is to spend your freshest time of the day, in the morning or
whatever works for you, reading the headlines and any groundbreaking
stories you are interested in.
Keep careful attention while reading the news. Be aware of what's
happening around you. Take note of small changes and recurring stories.
They're often a tell tale sign of things to come.
Change happens. And as I said at the beginning. Sometimes things change
and are never the same again. Will you be ready? Will you learn how to
read the handwriting on the wall, know when changes are coming, and cash
in on them before anyone else. I bet you will now.
by
Michael Campbell
Author of....
Revenge of the Mininet...
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