An idea I heard from author, Stephen Covey, at the end of last year that resonated with me so much at the time, and seems to even more now is the suggestion that each person's knowledge has a 'half shelf life' of two years. What he meant was that up to half of everything we know now will probably become redundant or out-of date within the next two years.
Brian Tracy goes further when he says that the old idea of having three gears; forwards, neutral, and reverse, at least in life, is incorrect, as there can be no neutral. Also referred to as 'standing still/treading water/taking time out/stepping out', for neutral to exist, he suggests, everyone else would have to make the same choice at the same time.
What actually happens is when we 'take time out' the rest of the world keeps on moving, evolving, reinventing, and growing, so in effect we fall behind. Hence, there can only be two gears; forwards, and backwards.
Whilst this is an obvious fact in business, personally it's a little more subtle – and just as true. I experienced this only the other day when asking a friend I haven't met up with for more than a year to meet for coffee at the club we always used to meet…only to find she's no longer a member. She moved her membership, time ticks on, as do people, businesses, and friendships. The only question for us to ask is if we're moving forwards, too?
That's the reality. As the old saying goes, 'time waits for no man (or woman)'!
Which gear are you in today?
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