You don’t need me to remind you we live in a world of constant change. I started to make a list, but it got ridiculously long. Instead, I’ll skip to the punch line.
Assuming you want to compete and thrive . . .
- Market forces grind what’s unique and special into what is ordinary and ultimately obsolete. The recipe for success yesterday will lead to less success today and far less tomorrow. You can’t hold still.
- In a world of infinite choice, what it means to be different, relevant, and valuable is a moving target.
- Incremental growth and improvement work until they don’t. It’s like Hemmingway’s quote about going broke. We lose our competitive edge slowly at first and then all at once.
- Some things are durable and stand the test of time. Most things aren’t and don’t. You need to figure out which is which. Invest in acquiring and strengthening the first and upgrading, inventing, and reinventing the rest.
Consider this an invitation and permission to reinvent.
- You don’t get to know the specifics of the future; it’s the commitment that counts.
- You don’t need to be precisely right; you just need to be generally pointed in a promising direction.
- You can’t see beyond the next few steps. Still, you can prepare yourself to pay attention, take advantage of opportunities, gather resources and help along the way, and take strength from the knowledge that you’re actively forging ahead while most of our competition is trying to stand still.
You’ll never arrive. What matters is you start.