If you can see the bandwagon, you’ve missed it
There have been a number of times over the years when something has happened that has sparked a new way of thinking. Some might call it a game changer, turning things on their heads, giving rise to a new dawn in a specific arena that means things just won’t be the same ever again. They tend to be accompanied by a huge desirability and a demand for a product and / or service that customers may not know about, or even realise that they need.
On January 9th, 2007, Steve Jobs said “Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone," and they did. We didn't realise we needed the iPhone at that time, but from that day to this, over 2.3 billion iPhones have been sold. On that January day in California, the world of phones changed forever… and others followed.
In 1895, Lord Kelvin confidently claimed that “making heavier than air flying machines was impossible”. Eight years later, Kitty Hawk took to the skies, and proved him wrong. On December 17th, 1903, the world of aviation changed forever… and others followed.
There are many more examples all around us. Alexander Fleming, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, James Harrison and Charles Babbage and Tim Berners-Lee, without whom you wouldn't be able to read this. And then there is Nick Vujicic, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks to name but a few.
The Wright Brothers, Steve Jobs, and all those above, didn't look at others and try to follow. They led. They forged the new path that others then followed. Wilbur and Orville Wright once said: “If we worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true really is true, then there would be little hope for advancement.” I can't help thinking that this mindset was at the forefront in some fashion of all those who have led the way and created things that have changed the world.
Was it easy? Of course not. Did it require a herculean effort and an unparalleled investment in time and tenacity? Yes. So, what is it that drives people to do this? What motivates them? The answer to that lies in many different things. An emotional connection, a desire to contribute, to make a difference, to challenge injustice. Whatever the motive may be, making that change requires a huge amount of courage, and perseverance. And if you’re reading this and thinking that all these people are unique and this level of change is just way out there, I’d urge you to think again.
The man who claimed to have “failed his way to success’, also believed that many of life's failures are by people who did not realise just how close they were to success when they gave up (Thomas Edison). To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
Don’t let the “problem is” people stand in the way of your dreams and the chance to forge a new path.