True or False: If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten.
"If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten" -Everyone (Probably)
I’ve had this quoted to me many times- in high school, in college, and in the workforce. While the correct attribution of this quote, and the words, are up for debate (I've heard it different ways and attributed as original to Einstein, Henry Ford, Tony Robbins, and others), I'm sure most of us have heard this in a lot of the meetings or classes we have attended. It is intended to push each of us out of our comfort zone.
But for some, it encourages complacency. “If I’m happy enough with my current situation, then why do anything different? I've nothing to lose.”
The truth is, you won’t always get what you’ve always gotten. Countless variables that affect all decisions and actions will make sure of that. Look at the many major corporations that have found themselves, or do currently find themselves, in dire straits. Many of them continued to do what they had always done- and they did not get what they had always gotten. They got left behind. They got overtaken. Some don’t even exist anymore. And some still exist, but not in the same capacity.
So, I’d like to amend this adage as follows:
"If you always do what you've always done, eventually you will become irrelevant."
While change is necessary, don’t just change for the sake of change. Evolve. Have a plan, have a goal, have a vision. Don't be afraid to make mistakes on the journey, but be sure to learn from them quickly and apply those new insights along the way.
What do you think? Have you also fallen victim to this trap? What do you do to ensure successful change and evolution in your personal and professional life?
