Subscription Options

May 16, 2009

The Age of Rapid Achievement

I am not slow to express my feelings of absolute disgust when I look at the trading practices and labor relations practices in countries like India, China and the entire Middle East. (And not from afar, I have been in these places and worked with the local industries.)

But putting that to one side it is fascinating to watch these nations, India and China in particular, trying to sprint through a development phase that took the West nearly two hundred years.

From basic manufacturing, through to complex industries, to technology, to communications and into the modern age. All happening in the space of about thirty years...there are bound to be some casualties.

It is also very inspiring... If two whole nations, containing about a third (I think) of the worlds population can do this - then surely little old me, my wife and kids, and those who come on the journey with me can something smaller but equally rapidly.

This is the age of rapid achievement. Forget the information revolution, that is only an enabler - like many others. The core of today is that you CAN achieve great things very quickly with the right amount of motivation, focus, direction and guts. (Raw hell-or-glory guts)

Google is the fastest growing company in history in terms of stock market valuation.

Napster was the fastest growing viral program in history.

Facebook has just eclipsed MySpace as the largest networking community with Twitter and LinkedIn setting their own ferocious pace behind them.

Dubai went from a desert outpost to a center of world interest and back again in 8 years.

Blogging has become an overnight phenomena, Adwords took over the world and the US just elected an inspirational senator after setting the world on fire with one speech!

This is the age of rapid achievement... have no doubt about it. In twenty years are you going to look back on it as a time when you set your destiny in motion or as a string of missed opportunities?