By David Harder on June, 4, 2018

What Will You Do With Freedom?

One of the most valuable books I devoured this past year is Kevin Kelly’s The Inevitable. In it, Kelly, who is one of the tech industry’s most respected journalists, talks about ten emerging technologies that are going to transform how we live, work, communicate and even think. The gist is, this transformation will take place in less than ten years.

Think back to 2008. How much has life changed? Now, double that.

There is one desired fundamental and healthy shift in how we respond to this accelerating change within our lives. Instead of choosing to be frightened and take on a negative viewpoint, how about looking at it from another truth? Technology is offering us freedom. We will have the freedom to hold intimate meetings with colleagues without having to leave our homes. Many of us will no longer be tied to rote and monotonous jobs. In fact, the new work coming towards us is creative, flexible, more big picture, empathetic, all of the things that are more in keeping with positive human experiences. Some of us will have to allow our brains to spring back into wakefulness to let go of task work and pursue careers that uses the best of us.

When I began this journey called Inspired Work in 1990, I remember speaking to a human resources executive at a big insurance company. In the middle of our call she asked, “Do I hear birds chirping in the background?” “Yes,” I replied. “Where are you?” “On my sundeck in Malibu.” “How do you get anything done?” “I get more done here.”

But she went ballistic. Later, I thought of the strangeness that the industrial revolution normalized over the course of 300 years. It is normal to drive through miles of hostile traffic to get to a parking garage and travel up an elevator and walk down the hall to our cubicle or office. It is normal to have one’s primary value to raise shareholder value.

I think I will take Freedom.

Freedom to work from where we want to work.

Freedom to enjoy doing what comes to us most easily.

Freedom to grow highly personalized meaning into all that we do.

Freedom to spend more time with our children, family, and dogs.

A friend of mine is taking off on a world-wide sailing adventure. He runs his business from the boat.

Freedom.

Read the book.

Brought to you by David Harder, President – Inspired Work, Inc.

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