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Stay on the Cutting Edge

October 1, 2007

What is it about CHANGE that causes us so much misery on the front end and so much pleasure on the back end? Ah, the question of many. Psychologists tell us that change brings regression. So, why do we need it? The answer is simple. Change brings LIFE and if there is no change, things begin to deteriorate until they stagnate and then die. We all like to “nest” and feel comfortable, in charge, and “on top” of things. Change isn’t nearly as bad when we do it, as it is when others do it to us!

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“Don’t ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up”. G. K. Chesterton

Why are we changing? What is being changed? What is going to be accomplished by the change? Will the change produce better conditions or worse? These are questions that need to be asked, but once asked, answers must quickly follow. We ask so that we might proceed and not tarry. Being a “cutting edge” person or corporation hasn’t been nearly as difficult in the past as it is today, nor as it will be come 2010.

Our world has become so complicated, change cannot occur without many people being involved in the process. In fact it has always been so to a degree as Alexander Graham Bell said, “Great discoveries invariably involve the cooperation of many minds. I may have been given the credit for blazing a trail, but when I look back, I feel the credit is due to others rather than myself.”

So much of “cutting edge” thinking comes about in “quiet times” which we seldom experience in today’s fast paced world. This does not imply that quiet is a necessity for innovation, but rather one of the more prominent factors involved. But, we need to be attentive to that still small voice within us. What is our subconscious mind saying to us, trying to tell us?

“Intuition is reason in a hurry.” Holbrook Johnson

Some of the greatest inventors of our time have contributed their genius to listening to their intuitive nature. Jonas Salk said, “Intuition will tell the thinking mind where to look next.” What they are saying is that often times, we have to over ride the logic of our minds. To be creative and on the cutting edge requires a degree of insanity. Now, maybe you are getting it! What’s not making sense will, once you put the one-two-three steps of implementation to what seems impossible currently.

“Follow your HUNCHES like the ancient navigators followed the stars. The voyage may be lonely, but the stars will take you where you want to go.” David Mahoney

Most employers are desperately looking for the person who can follow the rules while bending their imaginations. What employer is not looking for a breakthrough that will save money, add production, bring in new customers and make working conditions better? It is sometimes as simple as asking “why not” kind of questions. George Bernard Shawis credited with one of my favorite quotes, “Some see things as they are and say WHY. Others see things that never have been and say WHY NOT.” Bobby Kennedy brought popularity to that phrase at his brother’s funeral. Both brothers were cutting edge people.

“When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands examined.” Mark Twain

Our world is about to turn a millennial corner and what’s around us should challenge us, not scare us. The wheels are spinning faster and faster. The word exponential must soon give way to some other faster concept. Atoms and particles had to give way to nano-particles. Gigabytes are having to give way to terabytes. Don’t dig in your heels and resist. So, what is cutting edge? It’s akin to putting your back side in a sling shot and applying as much pressure as you can before you leave your feet and are thrusted forward, engaging your brain but not becoming a slave to it either. Say what?

Written by Ernie · Filed Under How to Get Promoted 

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