Change

I have always found the study of people fascinating. Understanding why people operate the way they do intrigues me. One thing I have a hard time understanding is most people's  resistance to change. Change is such a natural part of life. In fact, if nothing ever changed than your life would be the same as it was when you were born (boring)! I've always like the saying "the only thing that never changes, is everything is always changing". Change can be uncomfortable at times, especially when you are stepping into the unknown (I think that is what makes change hard for most people). But, when has anything significant happened in your life without change? Every exciting and interesting event that has happened in my life resulted due to some sort of change. Without change, my life would be boring and uneventful, and for those of you who know me personally, know I get bored very easily.

I recently watched the Social Network, a good movie in many regards. I've always found true stories so much more interesting than fiction, so I was mildly entertained. There was a scene when Mark Zuckerberg makes a comparison between facebook and fashion. He says facebook will never go out of style because, like fashion, it will always be changing and adapting to its new environment. What a brilliant man! That concept can be applied in just about any business model. Your client is never the same. Their life changes, so should your product! Especially if you are trying to gain a customer for life, shouldn't you consider that their preferences will be different for their first purchase and for their last. No wonder Mark Zuckerberg was the person of the year according to Time Magazine and his company is valued at $50+ billion. Wow!

What is ironic though, is how resistant most people are to the most recent update to their facebook profile. The changes are minor really. All of the same features are present, merely located in different spots. I can't count how many people's statuses were referencing the fact that they did not want to take a few minutes to adjust to a change, especially because this particular change is not going to have a huge impact on your life.

Few changes that happen in your life are important enough to allow them to upset you. Change is really a great thing, especially if you're looking to be different and unique. If everyone did everything the same, there would be no facebook, there would be no vanilla coke, there would be no Internet at all, and most importantly, there would be no blog called classified by christy.