What a Banana Taught Me about Technology

About a year ago, I came across a video post that told me that I had been peeling a banana the wrong way all my life. I don’t know about you but I find those types of videos mostly enlightening and useful but they also make me feel a bit stupid — I mean, if I’ve been wrong about bananas all this time, what else am I wrong about?

The video illustrated how peeling the banana from the bottom and not from the stem was actually more efficient and the more natural way to do it (apparently that’s how monkeys peel bananas). You pinch the bottom, separate the peel and then the banana just sort of pops out, You don’t have those extra stringy things hanging on that you get when you peel the banana from the top. It also takes less effort as anyone who has ever tried to peel a not-quite-ripe banana would tell you.

So I thought “Why not?” and tried it. And it worked! And I’ve been peeling my bananas that way ever since. It was awkward at first — it felt unnatural and I was tempted many times to go back to the old way. But I was determined and resolute and I stuck with the bottom up peeling method.

The other day, after more than a year, I decided to try the old way again, and guess what? The old way now felt really awkward and unnatural, and I can’t imagine going back to peeling my bananas from the stem.

So what did this teach about change and technology? Well, this story is really about the difficulty of breaking old habits and breaking out of your comfort zone, which is always a big obstacle when tackling new technology. “The old way feels more natural. Change is awkward. I know that this new banana peeling method is more efficient, but I could never get used to it.”

So next time you’re faced with making a change or taking on a new challenge, or adopting a new technology remember that it only feels awkward at first. In the long run, you’ll be better off for making the change and in short order it will seem second nature, You’ll wonder how you ever managed without it. And maybe — at the very least — you’ll be smarter than a monkey!

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The Event Guys are change agents focused on event technology. They can help you figure out the best way to peel your bananas!