Inside Revolution

Yes, our world is changing, yet how many of us are aware of the rapid shifts taking place that are affecting our lives? More and more of us are living in a bubble, a bubble that prevents us from seeing what is really going on in the world around us.

 

Many of us are so caught up in our own lives that we are blinded by the realities of what is taking place outside our daily activities. We get so focused on ourselves that we lose sight of the bigger picture. As a result of this self-centered focus many of us are unable to see the changes going on outside ourselves, changes that can have a direct or indirect influence on our lives.

 

The world is changing. Do you see it?

 

Children who are twelve are acting and living like they are fifteen or sixteen years old. Senior citizens in their seventies are living and acting like they are twenty once again. China is building the world’s largest dam which, when completed some time this year, will capture so much water it will slightly shift the rotation of our planet. Silicon Valley, the technology capital of the world just six years ago, is now ranked number seven. Singapore, Beijing, Ireland, and India have catapulted themselves to the top and other countries are catching up quickly. Knowledge workers are now looking outside of the United States of America for competitive jobs.

 

The world is changing. Do you see it?

 

Places like Vancouver, B.C., a city that just 10 years ago was on the brink of being left behind in the global marketplace, is known today as the most beautiful city in the world and has captured the number one spot in terms of growth and quality of life. City leaders and private citizens knew that they had to make changes if they were going to survive the accelerated shifts in our world. They focused on creating an international sense of place based upon art, creativity, and diversity. Vancouver may not be for everyone, but it is going to be around for a long time to come. The civic leaders saw the changes in the world and have worked collaboratively to become a part of that change.

 

As I work with community leaders to identify ways to support Tulsa and Oklahoma in becoming more globally competitive, it is becoming clear that we all have to take a bold step to think differently about how we go about living our lives. This means thinking beyond next year, beyond our own backyard, beyond our borders, and beyond what is. It is a fact that nothing stays the same, and if we are going to be relevant as a community we need to collectively wake up and figure out how we can be a more significant player in our changing world.

 

Our world is changing. Do you see it?

 

So what if we don’t do anything, let things stay the same, and allow our complacency to run its course? Here is what will happen. We will wake up one day, not tomorrow, not even next year, but very soon, and start to feel the impact of these changing tides on our infrastructure, lifestyle, health, and income. For so many years the United States has been promoting an open market system, democracy, and privatization of business. Guess what? The world has woken up and has embraced our way of thinking. The difference is that other countries are starting from scratch, they have the fire in the belly to create what we have created, and they have a new found excitement contemplating what can be and that anything is possible. They are literally running like the wind to catch up and at an ever-increasing pace.

 

This is great! We should be very proud of our influence on the world. Our challenge is not to forget how we got where we are and remember that to be a relevant player in the world community we must continually reinvent ourselves. We cannot live our lives in a bubble thinking that we can remain the same, or what is worse that we are somewhere we are not. We must embrace the power of risk-taking and having bold ideas. We must believe that we can do anything when we work together. The game has changed and now we have to move beyond the zero sum games of the past into a place where compromise and collaboration rule.

 

The world is changing. Do you see it?

 

The choice is yours and the future is ours. If we remain and act the same, Tulsa will continue to slowly rust and decay. There is an old saying, “If you are not getting better, you are getting worse.” When we take on new thinking, true collaborative thinking, our opportunities to grow and prosper will increase. When we think outside-of-the-box, let go of our fears of the unknown, and look beyond what we know, true learning can take place. As a result, we will increase our chances of being relevant players in our increasingly changing world.

 

The world is changing. Do you see it?

 

Let me know what you think.

 

Write me at Xposure Business Magazine 507 S. Main, Ste. 400. Tulsa, OK 74119 c/o Inside the rEvolution or visit www.xposurebusiness.com to learn more.

 

Author Bio: Sean Griffin is a serial entrepreneur, creativity and motivational workshop leader, collaboration specialist, and one of the world’s leading graphic facilitator strategic planners. He is also author of the What Box? series of books which include Out-of-the-Box Thinking for Career and Life, Arrows of Wisdom, and The Creativity Challenge. You can learn more about Sean at www.seangriffin.com and www.whatbox.info, or you can reach him at skg@seangriffin.com.

 

 

By Sean Griffin