Dust Off Your Brain, You Need to Start Using It
For a very long time we’ve been becoming drones at work. It’s no wonder they are now coming for what is rightfully theirs.
Not a single day goes by without having articles on how robots, drones, machine learning, AI, etc. are taking our jobs flooding tech-tabloids and even big “respectable” media. Some panic, some sigh, some get excited, some don’t believe it, and some plainly are not interested in it.
At the same time we can read hundreds of articles (mostly celebrating) how software keeps on eating the world and how whole industries are being disrupted, and in my opinion improved, by companies like Uber, AirBnB, Arcturus BioCloud, 3D Hubs, Netflix, or projects like OpenBadges and Blockchain (whether for BitCoin, Ethereum or the next innovation that comes out from the mind of a brilliant 19-year old).
Name an industry and you can find a group of people that is attempting to rewrite its rules. (If you cannot find any you should probably be working on it right now!)
The truth is that these two perspectives are just two sides of the same coin. One does not exist without the other, and hence we cannot pretend to have the benefits of one, without understanding the consequences over the other, and vice versa. We need to understand this because it is time to redefine the way we currently conceive the world, our reality, and the role we want to play in it.
As each part of the world as we know it changes, so does the world as a whole.
Adaptation is the process that makes organisms better suited to their habitat. In a habitat changing at a rapid pace those who don’t adapt at that same pace will perish first, more times than not, devoured by those that can change. As you can see, it is not a matter of should you adapt or not? It is a matter of how, and how fast can you do so?
Here is the paradox. If you want to change, adapt, evolve, and thrive, the easiest place to start may also seem like the hardest. You need to start by changing your mindset. And although you may not have noticed, you are already doing it. Using Netflix is you adapting from having to drive your car to the closest Blockbuster (Rest In Peace). Using Uber is you adapting to a better quality and more efficient form of transport. And so it goes.
However, just adapting to what happens around us is not enough. It may help you survive, at least for a while, but if what you are really looking for is to thrive in this Creative Economy that is being built, you need to adapt faster. Better. Move from an adaptive user to an adaptive maker.
You need to be aware of everything that surrounds you, how it is working, and how it can can be improved. What will you build in order to make others adapt to your environment, rather than being the one adapting to theirs.
Richard Branson famously said “Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.” With my respect to one of the individuals and businessmen I admire the most, I believe the Creative Economy, and the world of change have modified this concept. It is no longer you waiting for the opportunity, but building your own.
Find the skill that you want to plunge into and lock yourself in a room for 20 hours to learn it. Dive into the theme that sparks your curiosity and meet the people working on it. Immerse yourself in the technology that interests you the most and collaborate with others with the same interest. Obsess yourself with that problem that keeps you up at night and think of ridiculous solutions for it.
Tinker, play, explore, learn. Build a life out of this, one that changes the world.
At Exosphere we are doing our part to shape the Creative Economy. We adapt and work to change the world every day. I invite you to read more about our next program.
As an institution that creates options and alternatives for the future of education and work, Exosphere is doing a 5-minute survey to understand the current status of work, education, and emerging tech. We know these questionnaires can be kind of lame so we tried to keep it short and simple: https://goo.gl/KWciuL
Thank you for your support!
