Let’s think about two kinds of people in the world: those who are willing to change, and those who are not.
Those who are satisfied with the way things are now, and those who are dissatisfied—enough to do something about it.
If you aren’t willing to change, then the best thing you can do is optimize—to become very good and very efficient at what you do. To work smart, to reduce waste, to defy conventional wisdom and become that ultimate: cheap, fast, good. This is the rule of thumb for industrialization and mass market retailing. Find your spot, do your job, keep your nose clean.
On the other hand, if you are dissatisfied enough, then the best thing to do is to innovate and initiate. This is riskier and far less efficient. There will be a lot of waste. There will be a high risk of failure in any given experiment.
You will have to be committed to change—and in order to change, you’ll have to be committed to a great deal of introspection about yourself, who you are, and what you do. You’ll probably learn many things about yourself that you won’t like, that will be painful—because if you were perfect, there wouldn’t be any need for change, right?
You’ll have to learn about yourself from others, who have a broader perspective than you. Which means you’ll need to open yourself up to others, hear voices that are uncomfortable—and many times you’ll have to discern what’s a valid critique and what’s not.
And you’ll also have to hear voices that say, “Why change, anyway?”
Neither road is easy. Which one are you going to pick? Which one is right for you?
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