“The Future is here… it’s just unevenly distributed.”

William Gibson

Our society and culture celebrates speed, it encourage us to be the first, early adopters and fast learners. None of my teachers ever pointed out the risk of being ahead of the curve, and the paradoxical need for patience that comes with being quick. Specifically…

Others Have to Catch Up

If others don’t join us into that new future, we can feel stuck, frustrated and bored. In worse case scenarios, being too far ahead of the curve can expose early adopters as outliers and threats. In better cases, it reveals leaders and visionaries. Although as one mentor said to me, you don’t get to be labeled a visionary until after your vision comes to pass.

There are varying theories identifying the tipping point; the point where enough critical mass has been built, change is inevitable and obvious to the hold outs. The lesson here is that it requires patience, perseverance and an understanding of the process.

This applies to new technologies, processes, ideas, social equality and justice.