Let me preface this by saying that I am a TOTAL nerd when it comes to the things I love. I could read about the great debate on Nikon vs. Canon all day long (though clearly Nikon is the winner) and I really don't mind getting into the details of social media, blogging, SEO, and everything else that comes along with running a small business. So I research constantly. I am always reading about the next big thing, or how Google changed their search algorithm, or how Facebook changed EdgeRank...I know all of that might be a foreign language to you, but I love it!
Because I'm in that world so much, I've seen some really great things and some really bad things come out of social media and the new world we live in. But one of the most striking things to me is how quickly technology will catch up on us, kick our butt, and leave us in the dust if we aren't paying attention. Case in point: Google.
Obviously, Google is THE dominant search engine. I'm actually fairly sure it's now in the dictionary as the synonymous word for searching (and no, I'm not being sarcastic). A few years ago, Google revolutionized the online industry and made information SO accessible to us that it really shifted the landscape of the world we live in. We can find out ANYTHING just by searching it, and do just that dozens of times per day.
But a funny thing happened to Google: they missed out big on the next big thing. Since I don't personally know anyone there, I can't pinpoint exactly what happened - whether it was from a pride stance (we're already the best!) or just from a stance that they totally missed out but whatever the case, social media truly snuck up on Google, and that has ended up being a huge blind spot and weakness for them.
Don't get me wrong. Google is still wildly successful, and I don't think it will ever die out. But more and more, studies show that people are turning to social media for their recommendations rather than searching the web. We are far more likely to connect with images than words, and Bing has done this with their homepage. In so many ways, Google is fast becoming old news. Sure, they tried to catch up with Google Plus, but few people understand how to use it, and Google itself is still trying to figure it out. I have a Google Plus page, but haven't seen much on the social spectrum of social media happening. And it's not just me...check out this chart on how much time people spend on each social media network per month.
Credit: socialmediatoday.com
I could talk for days but my point is this: if in our jobs, or our dreams, or whatever we're doing, we get content with where we are, we will quickly get left behind. If we are not ACTIVELY seeking to grow, learn, discover new methods, and be better tomorrow than we are today, we will get left in the dust. Sure, we may pick up money/success/fame along the way but there will be no longevity to our work if we don't stay on top of what is going around outside of us.
I urge you to not be satisfied with good enough. Don't settle for doing a good job, or even a great job, because tomorrow your job may be given to somebody or something else better. Learn. Grow. Discover new techniques and methods. Don't be afraid of research and a lot of sweat and tears poured into this dream or job you have before you see it take off. And when you do be content, but don't be satisfied. Be happy with where you are, but keep seeing where you need to go to maintain what you want to do in 5, 10, or 15 years from now. Because if you don't, you'll wake up and realize that someone who started a lot later worked a lot harder than you did and not only caught up with you, but left you behind. And I don't want that to happen to me! So go forth, dream big, conquer the world, and WORK HARD to make sure you stay on the top of your game!
Happy Sunday everyone!
