Let's Bring Back The N-Word!

Today, I want to challenge you to bring back the dreaded N-Word!

No, not that N-word, the other one.
You know which one I mean—the one most of us tend to shy away from as we get older.
Yes, that N-word—NEW!

In my conversations with people from all walks of life, I am amazed at the number of them who will say they are familiar with certain technologies, processes or business strategies, but admit that they really haven’t learned them.
How long has it been since you decided to learn, not just become familiar with something new?
How long since you attempted to do things in a new and different way?

“New” can be a daunting experience. I mean, we’ve gotten along just fine, been reasonably successful, doing things the same old way. Then, there is the unspoken question lurking in the back of our minds—“what if I can’t master it?” or that ego-centered “I don’t want to make a fool of myself.”

Accepting the challenge of the “New” is important in today’s ever changing business climate. And not just in technology. New methods of managing time, people and business are constantly being introduced to us. New approaches to marketing, sales and relationship building are being implemented and proving successful for our competitors. New ways of thinking about problems and opportunities are producing innovative solutions and opening doors of opportunities. We all know of individuals and businesses who have lost out completely because they failed to change with the times—to embrace the “new” that engulfed their industry.

Attempting something new or learning new ways of doing things is also good for us mentally. Experts tell us that we need to exercise our minds. Since I haven’t been able to find a listing under health clubs for mind exercising, the only way we can keep the old gray-cells fit and limber is to tone them up with more strenuous lifting—which means going beyond what we normally have them do—which means adding something new.

Finally, attempting something new or learning new ways of doing things gives us a sense of satisfaction as we see ourselves becoming more proficient in what we are attempting or learning. This creates a dual effect on us—it subconsciously causes us to raise our expectations (fresh challenge) and it adds another layer of confidence in our ability to rise to challenges.

You might be wondering why I am on this dreaded N-Word band wagon today. Let me explain. About a year ago, I paid good money for Microsoft Publisher. After messing around with it for a couple of hours, I decided I could live without the hassle of learning all this new stuff, and it was retired to its place on my hard drive. Until last week.

I needed a new website built and to revise a couple of others that we have out in cyberspace. Not wanting to spend the dollars to hire someone, I decided to bring Publisher out of retirement. With great trepidation I opened it up—the tutorial, like most tutorials proved useless to me, but I bravely forged ahead. First, I created a simple page, just to prove I could do it. Then I created a website for one of our subsidiary companies that didn’t have a site. By the end of the week-end, I was having a ball and frankly, am looking forward to the challenge of taking my Publisher experience to the next level!

So, don’t be afraid to reactivate the dreaded N-word into your vocabulary and lifestyle! Something NEW now and then will invigorate your mind and renew your confidence!

Have a great and profitable week, and let’s be thankful for this particular N-word!
Robert Hidde bob@confidentliving.com
roberthidde.com