Progress

In my job I mainly deal with change. For some (like myself) this is easy to deal with and something to be embraced. For others it is more difficult (to say the least). It would seem for some change is an enemy that must be fought regardless of the personal (or professional) cost, and nothing should be moved, upgraded, altered, or tweeked!

Yesterday I was at a seminar where the focus was on new developments from IBM. It was fascinating for several reasons but I only want to focus on one. During the presentations it was revealed that 25% of ALL internet traffic from NZ goes to Facebook.

Now this is staggering for many reasons, but I was astounded because of the rate at which people have changed! People are embracing Facebook for dozens of different reasons. But I suspect the main reason is it enables them to stay in touch with family and friends regardless of where they are. It also allows us to connect with people with similar interests and easily show our concern (because now all you need to do is click to join a group against something ... you don't even have to leave your house, sign a petition, or give any money)!

This is fascinating to me because it demonstrates how people will, through their own efforts, without much prompting or a sales pitch (except for peer pressure perhaps), go out and do something new. People will learn a new skill in order to do something (connect with friends and family) better. They aren't formally trained (in Facebook), but they are connecting and communicating.

Why then, do so many people refuse to act the same way in their jobs? Is it because we are only willing to do the bare minimum, and only between 8:30am and 5:00pm? Or is it because we don't look for jobs that engage our passions and desires?

Whatever it is, Facebook tells us we don't need to learn how to use a computer or software. We need to see the power and potential that the computer or software (such as Facebook) is providing and then apply that to our lives. Then we will achieve more, and have more time for things that matter to us.