We are drowning in obsolescence. 
What worked yesterday is now, you know, obsolete, passé, out-dated. 
I found my old “bag phone” a few weeks ago and started to hysterically, from the gut, laugh.  While rolling around on the floor in my living room sputtering with glee, I recalled how I lugged this wireless behemoth down the aisles of our local grocery store.  I actually called friends to have them call me back so I could make a big deal about talking on the phone without being connected to the wall.
            As I pen this short article my elbow is rubbing against the small bump on my hip, my Blackberry Pearl.  Unbelievable change!
Do you notice our change rate seems to be in warp speed?  What was once the item of hardware we just “had to have,” ends up in the next garage sale.  And, if you have not noticed, the span of time between the introduction of new technology and the trip to the recycling center is starting to be measured in days, not years.
So, there are two choices.  First, we can just wait to become the consumers of the “latest” or, second, we can be the creators of the first.
If you want to be a creator instead of a whiner in this chaos-ridden culture, there are four qualities you will have to develop to survive and then…thrive.
First, we have to be fearless about embracing the unknown.
If you are able to leaf back through the scrapbook of your childhood, you will probably resurrect the memory of believing there was someone hiding under your bed.  You could hear the breathing and feel the bed shake.
Can you also remember just loosing patience with your fears and, with abandonment, jumping off the bed sticking your head into the jaws of this fable screaming into the empty chasm, “Come out of there!”  When the emptiness answered with silence…you took a giant step into maturity.
I find Twitter, paying bills on-line, and answering questions from someone in the dashboard of my car, who I have never met, but who knows I have just smashed my car into a utility pole to be…intimidating.  I am asking, “What’s next?”
What I am working on is dumping my fear and aggressively moving into the future before it arrives.  Instead of asking, “What’s next?” I am now inquiring, “How can this make my life better and more productive?”
Second, let’s renew the process of “leveraging.”  Think about the invention of the steam engine.  This steel giant churned through the 1800s with its greasy smoke and ear-splitting introduction.  It was the “iron horse” and the really smart people started to figure out how to ride this machine right into their…bank.
Not only was the steam engine revolutionary, it padded the pockets of steel magnets, hoteliers, freight care manufacturers and millions of others who envisioned products to grease these rails. 

What about today?  In the opening chapters of this technology anthology what opportunities do you see?  In other words, how can you profit and grow from iPhones, Facebook or Google? 
Third, find people around you who are comfortable with the role of “chaos riders.”  These are people who infect me with their enthusiasm for opportunity.  I find them constantly reading and listening to the embryonic screams of nano-science.  I have learned to cozy-up to their confidence in the future.  These chaos-riders give me confidence that the future has the power to heal.
Finally, change your language.  Instead of opining, “Life is just a blur, this is all happening far too fast,” try, “The opportunities today are unlimited!”
Language does craft an environment.  If the unfolding future is communicated with scary language, the future will be scary.
Try this statement at work today, “I am so encouraged with the new options all of us have to get in control of our careers.”  Listen for the initial resistance and be prepared for the questions which all end with, “Do you really think this will work?”
So, dig through the junk in that cardboard box in the attic or in the rafters of the garage and dig out your bag phone.  Dust it off and feel the weight of this technological dinosaur.  Then, finger your cell phone.  Now, celebrate the fact that we live in the era of immense change and…unlimited opportunities to win the race to the future.