Source: CANVA
About two weeks ago I touched on the topic of change and our involvement in it.
In that post, I mainly focused on our involvement in the change that is taking place.
But when change starts taking place, are you ready for the change? Will you adopt or will you resist?
We often see how change is taking place, but sometimes, we also see how people try to resist it.
Resisting change when you see all the signs "written on the wall", can be a costly experience.
An example that we can pay attention to is the world-famous Kodak company.
It's not that Kodak denied what was happening in the digital space. As a matter of fact, according to this case study, the inventor of the digital camera, Steven Sasson, was an electrical engineer at Kodak when he developed the technology.
But, according to the same case study, his bosses at Kodak didn't want him to tell anybody about it.
Something else I found very interesting in another Kodak case study, is that Kodak failed to ask the right question. This second case study that I have read, states that according to Forbes " the essence of marketing is first asking ‘What business are we in?’ and not ‘How do we sell more products?’!"
In the long run, Kodak's decision has cost them dearly.
That is just one example in one industry.
We are All Facing Change
At this very moment, we are all facing change. And it's not just about one company. It's not just about one industry.
Everything is about to change. Well, the change is already taking place...
Finances
When we talk about finances, I am not saying that FIAT currencies will just disappear anytime soon. But neither can you say that cryptocurrencies aren't here to stay.
The change is already taking place, whether you like it or not.
Many try to resist...governments and banks alike... But you cannot deny the fact that cryptocurrencies are here to stay.
I cannot say in what form. I cannot give you a complicated analysis to predict the future. But I am also not blind to what is happening right in front of our eyes at this very moment.
Not only can we get financing in the form of loans, but we also have the privilege of debit cards coming out for cryptocurrencies.
In several countries around the world, people already have access to these benefits.
We all know that El Salvador has accepted Bitcoin as legal tender, but here is an Investopedia article, reviewed on August 25, 2021, to give us an overall picture of the worldwide acceptance of Bitcoin. This article is putting it nicely in perspective of what Bitcoin can be used for, where it is accepted and where not.
There is More...
It is not only on the financial front where change is staring us right in the face... I believe the whole way we do business, how we live, our workplace...everything is about to change.
Again, to a large extent, change has already taken place, but I believe there is more to come.
The Workplace
Up until recently, it was normal to work in a "normal working environment". This could be an office space, workshop, retail showroom, or whatever..."
But to a large extent, the Covid 19 pandemic has changed that for us already.
Not everybody is equally comfortable with the idea of working from home yet... I recently overheard a guy phoning in on a radio talk show, who stated that in his opinion, "working from home is just another level of being lazy..."
He clearly hasn't met some of the people I know, who are working from home. They are working way harder (and longer hours) than many people I know who are working from a traditional office space...lol.
I think that many companies have seen the cost-effectiveness of allowing people to work from home. True, it is not everybody who can work from home. It needs self-discipline and commitment indeed. But at the end of the day, people will have to make that decision when faced with such a choice.
So, we are coming from...
Source: CANVA
Are we heading for...
Source: CANVA
Accommodation, Education, and Day-to-Day Living.
This will also have an impact on where we live.
Accomodation
Currently, it is important to live as close as possible to the workplace. But I believe that as more and more people start working from home, we might see people moving towards quiet areas to get away from the hustle and bustle.
Education
Online education became a handy tool during the Covid pandemic. And once things return to "normal", I don't think it will just disappear. I think homeschooling will become more popular.
While at universities there are normally accommodation arrangements available to full-time students, there are also opportunities for "distance-learning".
Retail Business
As far shopping is concerned, I'm not saying nobody will ever go to a shop anymore, but online shopping is nothing strange either anymore...
More and more retail companies are offering online shopping services.
Transportation
Even transportation is staring massive changes in the face...
Just a short few years ago, it sounded like some fiction story from a sci-fi movie when someone referred to self-driving vehicles... Now they are a reality.
And not only are we talking about self-driving vehicles, it often makes the news where they are talking about aircraft for public transportation...with no pilot on board. Read this article (published in 2019) to see what I'm talking about.
Are You Ready For Change?
During this time of lock-down due to the pandemic, a friend sent me a "joke" video. It showed the inside of a commercial airliner with excited passengers about to start their journey. After lockdown, it's their first opportunity to get out and start traveling again...
The next moment you hear the captain's voice as usual over the intercom... "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I'll be working from home today..."
The next moment there is shock and a lot of passengers in great panic...
That was supposed to be a joke...but are we really that far away from such a scenario? Without having panic-stricken passengers?
And just as a bonus: when we speak of air travel, we can't even limit that to earthly destinations anymore. People are already traveling into space just for the fun of it.
Six Areas Where We Can Expect Change.
So, just a quick recap of where change is already taking place:
- Finances
- The workplace
- Accommodation (the location where we live - especially related to our workplace)
- Education
- Shopping
- Travelling
Are we living in exciting times, or what?
And looking back into history...let's learn from it.
Instead of resisting, let's be willing to educate ourselves and make the most of it.
This very platform where you are reading my post is already part of the change and it's an excellent place to start preparing yourself for what is yet to come.
Thank you for reading my post.
Are you excited about everything that's taking place at the moment?
Let us know in the comment section below.
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