How to Always Be Ahead of the Curve

In any line of business you’re currently working at, the key to a successful career and sustaining longevity is being updated to every new trend, cultural shift, market needs, and more. To be impactful, you must have an eye for the next hit, laser-sharp focus on the newest generation’s potential, and know how to work your way up without shortcuts. It’s understandable that most of the things you grew up learning can turn out to be a thing of the past, and it’s even harder to learn new skills, yet nothing in life goes without a challenge. So do you want to stay still and watch as everything moves at a rocket speed pace, or do you want to always be updated, observant, and successful? If you choose the latter, there are a couple of things you can do that will help you in the long run. 

 

Disclaimer, this isn’t your typical LinkedIn “rise and grind” motivational type of guidance, but a few steps that you can follow that take time, effort, and the ability to accept failing and falling but rise above.

 

 

1- See What Your Competitor is Doing

To know your enemy, you must study them and not move when they make a mistake. While “enemy” is a strong word used to describe your competitor, both of you seek the same end goal, so you should be observant of the strategies they make, see what makes them click, and whether it actually fits your work or not. 

While not everything is done by everyone is applicable to your company’s branding or line of work, time is changing, and you must see what the people want from you, will this change you’ll be applying bring in more people and doesn’t feel like a drastic change, or should you stick to the “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” type of mentality. 

 

 

2- Embrace The Landscape’s Changes

“Nothing stays the same” whether it’s cars, phones, people’s mindsets, and everything else, change is inevitable. Any successful person from a filmmaker to an entrepreneur, is always aware of the shift happening and is eager to embrace change. Yes, change from the norm is quite scary, and is very difficult to adapt to it, but mentally, if you embrace the idea of change and welcome it with open arms, it becomes a little easier. 

 

 

 

3- Have The Hunger For Learning

In life, every situation and chapter has its lessons, so you must be always a diligent student.  The more you learn and seek knowledge, the more you gain power and understanding. It broadens your horizons and makes you see things from a different perspective. 

 

 

4- Don’t Dismiss Younger or Older Generations 

Whatever age you’re currently in right now, it’s important to understand everyone you’re working with and providing services for. 

Don’t ignore the older generation and claim that “they are past their prime” and don’t also be dismissive of the younger generation by saying “What do they know about anything?” instead, learn and listen to the wisdom of the old and embrace the enthusiasm and excitement of the young. 

 

 

5- Accept Failings and Learn From Past Mistakes 

Mistakes are bound to happen, whether you like them or not. Mistakes are how we learn and pinpoint what went wrong. It’s beyond understandable that it’s tough and maybe hurtful to accept that you did something wrong, I get it. It feels like you’re incompetent and lazy, but not all mistakes are caused by lack of skill and stupidity, sometimes mistakes simply happen due to things out of your control, or maybe things didn’t work out the way just cause. What you must do is go back with an objective mindset and analyze, see the repeating pattern that causes the same mistakes to happen again, and work your way into changing it. 

 

 

6- Be Aware of the Latest Technology 

Every day, there’s a new technology invented to improve our lives and simplify everything. Sure, the old-school methods work just fine and might work perfectly with your line of work, however, you should also be able to know how these new technologies can bring efficiency and quality to your work without sacrificing or letting go of old-school ways.

Look at AI, yes, there’s a huge problem with people using it and replacing human labor, but when used right, as a tool and not as a replacement for people, it can be useful. 

 

We are encouraging a moderate usage of AI and not stating that it should replace humans.

 

In the end, being ahead of the curve requires commitment, flexibility and adaptability.