“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
George Bernard Shaw
I started searching for this weeks quote based on my perception that you and I always need to adapt. Really? Always? Is there not a time when we have to hold our ground and be steadfast?
In writing a novel one of the decisions that the author needs to make about the main character is this; does he/she remain steadfast or change?
If the character is steadfast then the entire story revolves around situations and circumstances that assail his/her position, trying to get him/her to "cave in" and change. However, to successfully finish the story and "win", the character must remain steadfast.
There are lots of stories about remaining steadfast and succeeding. In the fictional movie "Burlesque" Cher remains steadfast until the last moment and she is rewarded with success. Dirk Pitt in the Clive Cussler novels is always a steadfast character, holding fast and saving the day. In business many start-up founders have pitched to dozens of funding sources before getting the green light.
On the flip side if the character is a "change" character then all of the events seem to point that he or she should remain the same. Yet to "win" he/she must change.
There are also many stories about individuals and companies adapting and succeeding. Apple is one of the best examples. They were losing market share for years against Microsoft. It would have been easy to write them off as irrelevant. But they adapted with the release of the iPod. A beautifully simple music player. That lead to the iPhone and now the game changing iPad. Microsoft could be the irrelevant company is a just a few years.
So here is the dilemma. Remain steadfast or adapt? Too much adapting and you run the risk of never gaining any traction. Too much steadfastness and you can become like the buggy whip company with 100% market share, just that right now the market for buggy whips is very small.
In my humble opinion here are two statements that may help you choose. If you have a vision for the future that does not exist in the world (market) today you will need to remain steadfast and make the world change. If you are simply aligning yourself with the world (market) then you will need to adapt as it changes around you (possibly by following one of your competitors that was steadfast).
Change yourself or change the world. That is your choice. Either way can lead to success and only you can choose which road you will take. That is your destiny.
~Eric
