Times Are Changed, We Are Changed With Them

“Tempora mutantur, nos et mutator in illis.” In case you did as poorly in 7th grade Latin as I did, that translates to, “Times are changed, we are changed with them.”

And like life after Latin, things move on. All of us. Everything. Impermanent and ever-shifting. Friends. Relationships. Bills. Account balances. Daily schedules. We can tally up everything quantifiable around us, but it will only ever be a snapshot in time.

There are two stories we tell about this: the ones we tell ourselves and the ones we tell others. The rest of this post is about the one we tell others, but don’t overlook the first.

Whatever story we’re telling, whatever product or service we’re selling, how we embrace change, and how we adapt along with it is a key detail. Instead of just “what we do,” we can add “what we are doing now.” Instead of just “our storied history and legacy,” we can add “these are our potential next chapters.”

There’s an urge to discuss where we’ve been, when what we‘re doing next is going to matter most to those we serve. Track records, titles, and accomplishments are fine, but mostly as they apply to how we’ll adapt to the world in front of us. Come what may.

Where we are is important. Where we are going is even more so. The times change and we change with them. Change isn’t necessarily good or bad, it just is. We can add value by not only practicing how we adapt to change, but also practicing how we continuously communicate it. The habit to build is to look beyond today and expressively talk about it.

We can’t be in the future, but we can help ourselves and others – in the present – by being ready to accept whatever the future brings. Times are changed. Past tense. The future will be the past eventually. Anticipate it. Accept it.

Bonus examples: Look at Facebook’s communications on their approach to the upcoming elections, Amazon on delivery, or Zoom on the future of teleconferencing. We don’t have to be big tech to have big vision. This is change awareness and communication in practice. The habit to build is to look beyond today and talk about it.