One of my favorite new gadgets is my Kindle Paperwhite. I had one of the first versions of the Kindle, then started reading on my iPad using the app, but since it doesn’t do well with glare, I forked over the $119.00 for the actual Kindle. I love it!
Now the interesting thing is when I tell some people about it, they swear up and down they’d never use one since they like the “feel of a book in my hand.” Well I do too, but it’s great not having to lick your finger to turn the page. You just tap the screen. It doesn’t get much easier or more convenient. Maybe it’s just the thought of a change that derails these folks.
How do you react to changes? Are you the kind of person who embraces change or do you run screaming from it? Change is one of those things that you’ll always run up against. When it comes knocking at your door, what will you do?
When I was a kid, I loved going to the beach. One day I remember getting dragged out a little too far from the shore and began to panic as a wave begin to build. Not knowing what else to do, I tried to swim in to the shore but the force of the wave was too strong and it knocked me forward. I remember coughing up sand and salt water the rest of the day.
In that scenario, I had some choices:
- Run from the wave. Bad idea.
- Tell the wave to stop. It probably wouldn’t listen.
- Dive under it. I would just wind up further out to sea.
- Bodysurf it in. Use the power of the wave to bring me gently into shore.
When scary changes present themselves, look for the positive in it. Only by leveraging that will you have what it takes to survive and thrive in times of change.
Someday, people will view traditional books like we do now when we think about scrolls and chiseled tablets. Technology is only one constant change. What will you do when faced with personal or professional change? Will you run? Show defiance? Avoid? Why not look for ways to leverage it and you’ll be much happier and far more productive.