One of the single best habits I’ve developed is challenging myself on “things I know to be true.” It’s amazing to me how often something that was a fact yesterday, is completely false tomorrow. It happens all the time.
My favorites usually fall into the realm of technology. It used to be impossible to automate certain tasks. Now, the automation seems to be everywhere. Single-sign-on (SSO) capabilities are the single best example of this. SSO has become ubiquitous within both consumer and enterprise technologies. Anytime I come across a system that makes me register yet another username and password, it drives me crazy. Five years ago, I none of this was truly common yet.
This is also very true of people and businesses. Someone you thought was working against you yesterday is suddenly an ally. The organization that you have gotten so much out of changes culture suddenly. Your strong vendor partner starts showing signs of no longer being well aligned. What was true last year may not be true next year, even if it is all the same players.
(As an aside, I just spent the last few minutes looking up the word ally because it does not look correct at all….but apparently, it is!)
Entropy is the most powerful force in the universe and it is constantly working. It can lead to chaos or be barely noticeable. Sometimes you never even realize which one it is until after it happens. Your only real defense is constant vigilance and questioning everything you thought to be true.
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