Do you have the right stuff to keep up with today’s ever changing technology?
How do you know what to do with all the changes that we face every day?
There is one simple answer that we will explore in this article. You will find out how no matter what your age your skill or your smarts, you can still make technology work for you and make a difference.
What does it take to keep up today?
Do you have the right stuff? Remember the 1983 movie “the Right Stuff” about Chuck Yeager and how US Armed Forces test pilots were selected to be astronauts. Even though Chuck Yeager never actually became an astronaut, he was considered to be the best pilot out of all of men chosen to be astronauts. Can you image how he must have felt to be the best in his field, but not get the rewards he wanted so bad?
At times you may feel the say way (I know I do), that you are smart, resourceful and just can’t seem to keep up with all the changes in technology today. Or better yet, use technology to achieve the goals you want. How do you make the best use of technology and how not to let it eat up all your time?
You already know the answer, but there is one thing your missing!
The answer is to always know what you want to accomplish. Have a clear goal and then start chipping away at it. Be careful not to get caught up in every detail to the point that it cripples you and keep trying until you succeed. Pretty simple right, so why isn’t everybody doing it?
See you already knew this didn’t you, so what is the problem?
So what is the problem if the answer is simple?
The problem is in the execution or more importantly the desire to execute. You know the things you you must do, but just don’t seem to get to them. There is always a customer or crisis that keeps you from getting to the really important things. The simple truth in everyone’s life is that we cannot just stop everything we are doing and get the really important things done, especially as a small business owner. So we have to do the next best thing!
We have to change the tires while the car is going down the highway!
This analogy is from one of my favorite business coaches Gary Pica and puts a great image in my head as to what needs to be done. It seems impossible but what you do is pick 2 or 3 things that you know need to happen each quarter and then chip away at them a little at a time. Another way to think of this is to just “suck a little less today than you did yesterday” (great big grin :-)). So how can you get caught up and keep up?
How does a small business keep up?
The truth is that you have to want to continuously improve and continuously look for ways to do it. This does take time, but it does not have to be a burden. There are many ways and many tools that you can use to improve. Just start out with the commitment that even if you don’t know how, you are going to figure it out. Carve out some time (15 minutes or so) and start looking for the answer. The information will begin to show itself to you.
Ever wonder why after you get a new car, you all of the sudden start seeing the same model everywhere in all kinds of colors?
Keep your commitment to improvement by looking for new stuff every week. Pretty soon you will know all the trends and begin to understand what applies to you and your business. You will begin to dable in new things and find out little ways to improve your existing technology in the process. When it comes time for new technology you will be able to speak with athourity and make sure it is right solution at the right price.
The key to understanding technology is to have a purpose for it. Once you have a prupose your brain will begin finding ways to achieve that purpose. Just keep working at it and makeit fun.
The technology toolshed is massive so focus your attention to achieve a specific improvement!
I hope you had as much fun reading this article as I had writing it. If you have some more suggestions please comment so everyone can benefit. If you own a business and need some technical help or would like to talk to us, please contact me and we can have a nice chat, I guarantee you will look at things differently after.
Have an awesome day!!
God Bless... Martin
