Even in a tough economic climate, change represents opportunity — for those who are prepared to take advantage of it. Being alert to future trends can help you develop a new business or become a more valuable employee — crucial in times of job layoffs. It also can keep you personally flexible and engaged. Bottom Line/Personal asked noted futurist Edie Weiner to identify key trends and opportunities she sees on the horizon…
Indulgences that were once available only to the wealthy are going mainstream. From time-shares at luxury resorts to first-class seats on airplanes (obtained as upgrades with frequent-flier miles), what used to be exclusive privileges are more commonplace.
One definition of luxury is something that is much wanted, yet in short supply. Traditionally, luxury has been equated with high purchase price. More and more, the things that are most wanted yet in short supply are intangibles, such as time, relief from stress and a good night’s sleep.
These intangibles sometimes are available to us at lower prices than their high-status counterparts.
Examples: The small, low-priced nail salon down the block will get you in and out much more quickly and conveniently than the full-service spa across town. The big-box discount store offers ample parking, aisles that are easy to navigate and a wide selection of items — saving customers precious time, as well as money, compared with shopping for the same items at a series of different, higher-priced boutiques.
Opportunity: Whatever your profession, if you want people to value your services or products at the prices you wish to charge, you must continually ask yourself, How can I provide customers with more time, less stress and other valued intangibles? These factors will be more important than status or price to a growing number of consumers.
People with vacation homes may want to sell them and use the money that had gone into maintaining them (heating/cooling costs, insurance, taxes, etc.) to buy time-shares, enjoying vacations more and stressing less.
The youngster who spends hours playing computer games may seem to be wasting time, but he/she is becoming adept at specialized skills.
Example: If I were about to undergo delicate surgery, I would look for a surgeon who had played video games all his life, because so many types of surgery are dependent on video. In fact, older doctors with years of surgical experience may have difficulty with newer procedures that require them to manipulate surgical instruments while looking at a video screen.
Computer-aided visuals are increasingly important for many applications — whether rescuing people from earthquakes, launching a rocket, finding oil in the earth or doing spreadsheet analysis. This trend will grow and grow.
Opportunity: Spend a few hours every week with a young niece, nephew, grandchild or neighbor, and ask him/her to teach you some computer-based games or tools that he enjoys or finds fascinating.
Example: Have your young tutor show you how to use new search-engine tools to look at outer space, such as www.google.com/sky/.
Resist the urge to ask, How does this apply to my daily life or my work? The implications might not be obvious now. Just have fun. The more relaxed you are, the more comfortable you will become with the technology — and the more prepared you will be for the challenges ahead.
Our research indicates that by 2012 — less than four years from now — more than half of today’s government workers will have retired. In the private sector, the situation is similar. Experts predict a shortage of workers trained to keep the world running smoothly — auto technicians, electricians, machine maintenance workers, nurses, surveyors, nuclear reactor inspectors, airplane mechanics and electric power workers.
Opportunity: Parents may want to encourage their children to consider going into so-called “blue-collar” trades rather than automatically aiming for white-collar professions. Skilled electricians and plumbers, for example, will be in great demand, and their compensation and prestige will rise. Older persons with specialty skills who do not wish to retire may find opportunities to work a few hours a week in the trades even if they have spent their work life in the white-collar world.
Also, businesses that train younger workers in maintenance and other infrastructure-related skills have the potential to be highly profitable.
Technology will provide increasing ways to connect meaningfully with others.
Some people worry that virtual communication is displacing face-to-face interaction and that society will suffer for it. However, the Internet has the potential to strengthen relationships by augmenting — rather than replacing — in person encounters.
Opportunity: Use Web casting to bring far-flung family and friends together for frequent virtual celebrations, especially when the logistics and expense of travel make face-to-face gatherings difficult.
Example: Using simple video and computer technology, such as Web cameras, you can celebrate Thanksgiving with 40 family members in several different states — trading tips as you cook and, later, sharing what you are grateful for as you sit down to eat.
Each succeeding generation has had more ways of being stimulated and distracted than the one before it. As a result, we get bored more quickly than our parents did, and our children get bored even more quickly than we do.
Brain research suggests that when something triggers a pleasurable response, we tend to want more of that trigger. Over time, we need greater and greater amounts of the trigger to elicit the same feel-good response. This process is how addictions form.
I believe that because of our easy access to stimulating experiences, we are now seeing this addictive pattern occurring with the adrenaline rush that accompanies excitement. Our society has become terrible at leisure. We have difficulty slowing down… resting… reflecting. We are deprived of the deep restoration and the creative breakthroughs that happen only when we are relaxed.
Opportunity: Take a class in yoga, meditation or tai chi to strengthen your capacity to pay full attention to the current moment. Hobbies, such as gardening and hiking, also can help you slow down and appreciate life more — as long as you allow yourself to enjoy them without being overly goal-focused.
