Sometimes change is slow, to the point where we can barely even recognize that things are changing. Other times, changes are revolutionary and happen very quickly. I believe that we are in a time when revolution can happen on any day, any week, and certainly happen quickly.
I am not necessarily talking about the revolution in a political sense, although a lot of that is happening too (just look at Egypt, Libya, Syria and such). What I am mostly talking about are revolutions in the way we live, how we do things, how we earn a living. Stuff like that.
Look at newspapers, magazines, and other content and how they are delivered. Twenty years ago we went to the newsstand and bought a newspaper or a magazine, carried it with us and read it when we had the time. Maybe in the past 10 to 15 years delivery of such content has shifted to the point where a lot of people read such publications on the Internet, mostly at their PC at home or at the office. Things are continuing to shift, though, in terms of delivery. Some people are using tables (like an iPad) or even their cellular phones to consume such content now. It would not surprise me if, in 5 to 10 years, hard copies of such publications will begin to phase out, and actually become rare. I would not be surprised if in that time frame (5 to 10 years) the majority of us have tablet devices and use them to consume content, instead of carrying around the physical copies of newspapers or magazines. One single device can contain hundreds of magazines, every major daily newspaper in the world, dozens of books in Kindle format or some other e-reader format, etc.
Basically, it is important for us all to keep an eye on what trends are happening around us. During times like this, any one of us can make our fortunes. When oil and other such mineral deposits came into play and became so important to mankind, a lot of people made their fortunes. Some people at the time looked at these people and just laughed, thinking that oil would just be a quick trend, not something that would be sustained over time.
Do you think that changing the delivery of news and information could break you financially? No? What if you are in the ink business, or the paper making business. What if you make the paper that newspapers are printed on, and suddenly everything goes digital? You could be in the poorhouse. But, if you keep a close eye on trends, you can adapt and succeed further. Companies that used to make typewriters (such as IBM) are now big in the computer business. If they staunchly kept trying to produce only typewriters, well, let’s just say that they would probably only be a memory now. But, no, they adapted and started making computers. The capitalized on the success they already had, adapted, and kept ahead of the curve. We all have to do things like that if we are to succeed.
The market for buggy whips has certainly declined in the past 100+ years.
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