There are 4 types of people
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People that create ideas
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People that are on the cutting edge and embrace these ideas first
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People that are a little behind the curve on embracing these ideas
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People that embrace the idea long after their ability to use it profitably has
passed.
Are You a Member of the Cutting Edge?
What type of person are you? Are you cutting edge? Do you strive to be the
first to see first run movies? Are you just waiting for the 2009 cars to come
out so you can trade in your 2008? Are you looking at fuel cell cars? Have you
already installed IE8 or FireFox 3?
Trust me when I say trends have come and gone long before I embrace them. As a
person on the tail end of the Baby Boomer generation I am often just behind the
edge where I should have jumped on an idea or practice. Everybody has life
experiences happen to them. The average newly married couple is not looking at
baby clothes. They are taking vacations, interacting with each other, going out
with friends and just getting to know each other. But, as soon as the wife gets
pregnant then they immerse themselves into finding baby clothes, beds and toys.
Tail End of Trends
Go with me for a second as I try to tie this into being on the tail end of
trends. Seeing as most people run through a certain set of circumstances in
their lives we all have common experiences. We are born, we go to kindergarten,
then grade school, middle school, high school, some go to college, find a job,
get married, have children, go skydiving (oops just kidding, seeing if you were
still with me) get a new job, and then turn old and retire.
As we journey through these life experiences, we encounter the same situations
as others. When we buy a car, we all come into the car dealership with
different needs, but similar times in our lives. The first car. The first new
car. The first leased car. The first time we use a credit union to finance us,
the first time we finance through the dealer. The first salesman that plays
hard ball with us. The first time we find out our credit isn't very good. Every
life experience is like this.
I found all my brothers and sister and all my wife's siblings all encountered
situations a few years before I did. I know my wife's oldest sister always
seemed to be on the cutting edge of life's ageing process. She was the first to
buy a new house. The first to build a house. Well 10 years later, Mary and I
come along and the investment vehicles aren't performing anymore. It is our
time to find these investment vehicles, but nothing is there. The Baby Boomers
have come and snatched up all the great opportunities. Why did we miss the
opportunity? I think it is because we still had to live life experiences before
we could take advantage of those opportunities. Meaning that our children
needed to be married off before we felt comfortable doing certain things or
making some investment.
Wearing Platform Shoes
But, I don't know if I have ever been on the cutting edge of any trend. Except,
maybe for wearing platform shoes in the early seventies. And look at how bad
that trend turned out. Part of it is the reluctance on my part to change. I
like doing the same thing today that I did yesterday. Some of the computer
changes that have occurred I have not supported, because in the old days a
computer change would break everything. It was worse trying the latest
operating system than just accepting the limitations of the old operating
system. Printers wouldn't work, you couldn't communicate with other computers,
and you would run across problems that no one knew how to correct. It just
wasn't worth it to me to be on the leading edge of technology.
Are You a Giant Killer
But, today, you will get swallowed up by your competitors if you don't stay on
the cutting edge. Where are some of the early search engines today compared to
Google? What is occurring in the world today that will take Google down? Are
you the one creating the next Giant Killer? The programmer in the cubicle next
to mine is always running the latest and greatest. We had a Quality control
person yell at him last week because the programmer was already running IE8.
The programmer has been running FireFox 3.0 for a while now. Leading edge or
bleeding edge or whatever you want to call it, you have to stay focused and be
aware of the changes in the technology sector.
Are You Social Networking
Have you adopted social networking into your business or blog? Are you
utilizing advertising networks that can drive the new age traffic to your blog?
Do you even know what that advertising network is? Are you a member of group 4, People
that embrace the idea long after their ability to use it profitably has passed?
How can you move up in the rankings above? Try reading more in the industry
blogs. When they mention something new, be the first to research it and get
more information. Then begin to tell your friends and relatives about it. Write
about it on your blog. Don't copy what you read before. Do your research and
tell us what you think it all means and the impact it will have on us.
You might say, "I don't want to be thought a fool." Well let me tell you, it
does not matter. No one will remember what you said a year ago. So, do your
research and tell us what you think. And tell us what drove you to that
conclusion. If you are right then be sure and mention that you were saying that
6 months ago or 3 years ago. Then you bring out the brag guns. You know when
the VHS and Beta tape wars were on all the family members were taking sides.
Guess what, some were wrong. But, who cares. Tell us your opinion. That is why
we visit your web site.
Get on the Fast Track
Anyway, I encourage you to get on the fast track and become an early adopter.
If you can be an inventor and create the next wave, that is even better. Change
is happening. It is happening fast. The people who can grasp change and caress
it to their benefit will ride the wave of riches to a better tomorrow. Good
Luck.
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