Adaptability to Not Be Left Behind by Changing Times #227
■ Evaluation is determined by the "present," not the "past"
The modern era is said to be a VUCA environment, characterized by intense change and difficulty in predicting the future.
What was valued in the past is not necessarily valued today.
When times change, the environment changes.
And with that, the criteria for evaluation also quietly change.
The problem is that this change is "slow."
If you remain unaware,
and keep thinking "everything is fine as it is"—
when you suddenly look back, you may find that an irreparable gap has opened up.
■ Rise and fall — Those who cannot adapt to change will perish
No success, no prosperity, lasts forever.
If you cannot adapt to the environment, you will eventually decline.
That is the essence of"rise and fall."Will you turn your eyes away from change and settle for the status quo?
Or will you face change squarely and change yourself?
The choice is simple.
And the accumulation of those choices will determine your future.
■ Only those on the "changing side" can change the future
Those who correctly grasp environmental changes and are prepared to change themselves will surely move toward a different future.
"Those who do not advance will surely retreat, and those who do not retreat will surely advance."
Yukichi Fukuzawa
Even if you think you are standing still, you are actually moving backward.
This is the harsh reality of an era of change.
■ The "invisible wall" called status quo bias
We unconsciously seek "safety" and try to maintain the status quo as it is.
This is what is known as"status quo bias."For example, you might be convincing yourself with words like these:
• I am doing just fine with my current skills
• New challenges are high risk
• I have no particular complaints, so there is no need to change
These words may seem plausible at first glance, but are they truly "safe"?
■ The "boiling frog" teaches us about silent crises
There is a famous story about a "boiling frog."
If the water temperature rises slowly, the frog does not notice the danger and ends up being boiled alive.
This is something that can happen to us as well.
• Growth stops little by little
• You stop taking on challenges little by little
• You lose confidence little by little
The change is so gradual that you cannot easily notice it yourself.
That is why we must remember:
Maintaining the status quo is a slow retreat.
■ Separating the external environment from the internal environment
What we who desire growth must do.
First, it is to calmly accept the "external environment" that we cannot control ourselves.
See it as a fact, not as an emotion or a wish.
Then, focus on the "internal environment"—our skills, thoughts, and actions—that we should be able to change ourselves.
In the end, how do we evolve what we can do ourselves?
This is the only place where we can take action.
■ "Multiple options" are necessary in an uncertain era
As long as we are in the VUCA era, the future is not a single path, but one that branches off in many directions.
That is why what is needed is not to bet on a single correct answer, but to have multiple scenarios.
And to prepare strategies for each one.
That flexibility becomes a risk hedge and a survival strategy.
■ Can you possess the "insight" to see through to the essence?
Konosuke Matsushita said this:
"Do not drown in what you think you are good at.
Have a mind that keenly perceives the essence of things."
Insight is the power to see the essence, not the surface.
Will current value still be valid in the future—
Where will my strengths be useful—
Whether or not you can see through this will greatly change your future.
■ It is "will" that determines the future
The essence needed in an era of change is neither talent nor environment.
It is the will to keep changing.
Will you stay where you are—
Or will you place yourself in an environment where you have taken a step forward—
The accumulation of those choices will create your own future from here on out.