The Most Important Attitude

Some People HATE Change

I read somewhere that there are people who use push-button telephones only because rotary dial phones are no longer available.

"... being change-averse puts you at a distinct and serious disadvantage when it comes to today's computers and technology."

While the author said that partly in jest to make a point, it's unfortunately more accurate than we might like to believe.

There are people who simply hate change. And "hate", as ugly a word as it is, is in some cases still not strong enough.

In my opinion, being change-averse puts you at a distinct and serious disadvantage when it comes to today's computers and technology.

Like it or Not, Change Happens

The world keeps changing, and it's not going to stop. No matter how uncomfortable it may make you or how much you complain and rail against it, things are going to change. Period.

The only thing unchanging is the presence of change itself.

Given that change is absolutely unavoidable, you have exactly two choices:

• Get angry and bitter, and convince yourself that those making change happen are responsible for all sorts of assorted evils in the world.

• Accept change. Embrace it. Learn from it. Exploit it. Enjoy it, even.

Now, given those two possibilities, think about this: which will lead to a happier, more positive experience? Heck, which one will lead to a happier, more positive life?

You can guess where I am.

Which will you choose?

Why Embrace Change?

Forget simply being happier, there's a very practical reason that embracing or at least accepting change is important.

In the nearly 10 years I've been doing this it's become very clear to me that given the same computers, the same situations and the same problems being faced, the person who is frustrated by changes he or she see's as being foisted upon them will have a much more difficult time using their machines and resolving problems. The only difference is that attitude that they bring to the table.

People who use technology the most effectively and are the least hindered by it are the folks who not only accept change, but even look forward to it. These are people who are curious, who are interested in learning what more technology can do for them, and how they can best leverage the latest and greatest to make their lives more effective, efficient and fun.

On the other hand, the more frustrated and resistant you are to the changes you're facing, the harder you're making it on yourself.

Your Car Puzzles Me

What I find puzzling is that many of these people who complain about changing computer software and other technologies are more than willing to quietly accept often major changes in their motor vehicle from year to year, model to model and between brands.

If the radio controls are completely different in your new car, why aren't you as upset about that as you are about various user interface changes in an operating system update? There's an argument that the controls on your radio present a much more significant safety issue as you fumble to change a station while you barrel down the freeway.

The radio's just one example. The changes that we quietly accept in our motor vehicles, and indeed in many other aspects of our lives are often greater and more far-reaching than what we might find when we upgrade our software, yet there's little or no outrage in comparison.

Find where the new knobs are, change the station and move on with your life. Like you do in your car.

Change Isn't Made With Malicious Intent

I often hear from folks who are absolutely and utterly convinced that whatever change they've encountered was made for the express purpose of pissing them off or for some other dark, conspiratorial intent.

Folks, pissing off your customers is just bad business, I don't care who you are or how big you are.

And don't doubt for one second that this is all about business.

Hardware and software vendors are in a constant competitive battle, and you don't stay competitive by standing still. In fact, halting innovation and change is a fast track to complete and total failure.

You remain competitive by continually striving to make your product better: better than the previous version, and better than the competition.

And that means making changes.

Newer Isn't Always Better

You'll get no argument from me that frequently the changes made in pursuit of "better" are anything but.

That doesn't mean that all change is bad, it means that that change was wrong.

Nothing more, nothing less.

The companies that produce these products are constantly researching and testing and coming up with ways that they honestly and truly believe make their product better.

Sometimes they get it wrong. Sometimes the idea turns out to be wrong, sometimes the execution of a good idea fails. Regardless, the net result is something that few people would call "better".

And yet for every change that failed, more changes - actually significantly more - have served to truly improve the products we use every single day and even eventually come to take for granted.

Change Isn't Just About You

One of the very common variations on the complaint I get is that "everyone hates this change".

Uh ... no.

Maybe many people you talk to, and certainly all the people that join you in the "complain about this product" discussion forum, but that's hardly a representative sample of "everyone". People who aren't experiencing a problem don't flock to the same places that you might.

"You can't please everyone", and nowhere is that truer than when it comes to technological change.

Perhaps it was simply your turn not to be pleased.

Perhaps the testing performed on the product indicated that the majority of people actually liked that change that you and your friends hate. Not 100%, but a majority nonetheless.

Once again, you get to choose your response: get angry and bitter, or accept that the change exists and make decisions on what you, personally, need to do to move forward.

Which really leads me to the bottom line I want you to walk away with.

You Can't Control Change But You Can Choose Your Response

Change is inevitable in life, and particularly so when it comes to computers and technology.

There's simply no escaping it.

So when faced with an unexpected change of some sort - be it in your formerly-favorite application or the operating system you've been using for years - what are you going to do?

Get grumpy and annoyed?

Or will you instead, accept and understand that change is a necessary part of the decades of innovation that have lead us to this amazing world we live in? And in that acceptance simply and rationally decide whether it's change you can learn from, change you can live with, change you need to avoid and work around or something that you simply can't accept and must walk away from?

Even if you choose the later, extreme, solution, if you do so out of a rational evaluation rather than an angry emotional reaction, it will lead you to a significantly more positive outcome.

Give change a chance. You don't need to accept every change, but if you can accept that change is inevitable you'll have a significantly better time of it.

In fact, you might even have fun, if you let yourself.

Source: http://ask-leo.com/the_most_important_attitude.html

texas tornados seattle seahawks new uniforms wisconsin recall wisconsin recall doris day buffalo sabres texas news