In our lifetime…

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change. — Charles Darwin

In our life time — we saw:

• Computers came to life. And shrank in size as fast as they came while becoming extremely powerful
• Computers morphing from general purpose to special purpose that are now omnipresent in all walks of life
• Internet coming to life and connecting the whole world like never before. It compressed physical boundaries and brought cultures together. It ushered a new ear of globalization like never before.
• Cellphones came to life. I recall having no phone in our home to having phone where you need someone in the Telephone company to switch the jack for callers to connect to each other.
• Concept of Telegrams vanished. Fax machines arrived and fading fast.
• We still have Kodak moment but Kodak photo films are soon to be found no where. Cameras have gone through multiple overhauls.
• Cars have gone through such major over haul that Gas guzzlers are counting years left while being replaced with Hybrid/Electric cars or other greener alternatives
• Who knew all the Carbon we were emitting and Polythene we were dumping was impacting our world ecosystem? Now we can’t go by a day when our kids don’t remind us of our responsibility towards future generation and our need to recycle.
• Television gone from black and white to color to LCD to 3D. TV used to bring neighborhood together for everyone to know what is going on in the world. TVs are now fighting hard to keep younger generation glued and not to lose them to Internet
• Radios used to be as big as TVs. Now you can listen to virtually any radio station or create your own on the Internet
• We saw tapes/cassettes/records/floppy in all form of shape and size disappear for their digital form
• Did anyone know we will need “Social media” to interact with friends? Or our ability to take a flight and come back on the same plane from space.
• Who knew we will be growing organs to replace body parts? and progress in the field of Medicine that has extended our average life

This list does not end here. We all have our own list that we can fill based on your own life experiences to give it our own personal flavor.

Point being — almost in every aspect of life — things have changed in our own life time. Things have never stopped changing. Nor it ever will. Change happens at its own pace. Some time things change fast and vanish; some time things change slowly while morphing into different shape and size. Nonetheless things change. This is true for personal and professional life. In business life, just check out the Fortune 500 list every decade or so to gauge our ever-changing industry landscape.

Change is the only thing that is constant. Variable is how a Change end up affecting us.

One of my friend told me early on that Change is just a change. Everyone involved are equally exposed. However, some people make the best of a Change and use it as an opportunity; while others struggle. Usually, people who are able to embrace a Change get the opportunity to shape the journey and reap the reward. Of course people who are able to project Change are always prepared and they find themselves a step ahead to ride the change.

So next time — when you hear about change — ask yourself how can this Change be an opportunity for me? Our landscape is ever-changing and the next one may be just the Opportunity you have been waiting for. Go lead the Change.