I Like Being First
Image by Ahmed Rabea
There’s something in me that enjoys being first.
It’s not really a “first place” thing - it’s more the feeling of being out in front, pushing the envelope, and leading the way.
It’s the part of me that drives being an early adopter.
Maybe that’s why technology is so much a part of my life. Perhaps it’s less about the technical side of things and more about being out on the forefront.
It’s the part of me that imagines what it must have been like to stand at an early Peter Frampton concert when he plugged a metal box into his amp and created a sound that had never been heard before by most - using the talk box for one of the very first times in a concert and making his guitar talk and sing.
It’s about being with others and being able to say, “What was that?! Holy cow - that’s incredible!” It’s the same responses I, and others, felt gathered around a computer in January 2007 when Steve Jobs decided to change the cell phone industry in the same profound ways that Apple had altered the digital music industry. That announcement drove me to be the guy that stood in line 13 hours and traded in my first born in order to buy the first iPhone.
When something new is announced it makes my heart skip a beat!
It manifests itself in my life in other ways, too. I remember a conversation I had with my wife, Andrea, to the effect of, “Are we ever going to be in a place in our lives when I don’t feel like I’m bucking the trend and pushing the walls?”
That place is neither good nor bad. It can help drive me and others around me ahead into the unknown, keeping pace with an ever-changing world. If I’m not careful, though, it can also lead me to a place of cynicism and pride, frustration, or even loneliness - if it isn’t monitored and kept in check.
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What Are Thin Places?
"Thin Places" are rich in Celtic tradition. They are the places in our lives where the divine and the natural worlds come so close together that we can catch a glimpse of God. For the Celtics these places were very real - places within creation where we could physically go. The Thin Places in our own lives are those moments where the space between us & the Kingdom is thin, when we are introduced to a greater glimpse of Who He is through our experiences and through the stories of others.
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"A Give It Back Mentality"
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Daniel Decker shared their voice on 08.28.2009:
Good word. I can relate but as I read through I had to ask myself if I’m more interested in being out front or… if the reality is that I don’t want to be left behind. I think the fear of being unaware, left behind so to speak, could drive a desire in me to be out front (in context to being an early adopter).
Being an early adopter (tech, gadgets and shiny things that are new) is a part of business for me too. It’s good business to be versed in what is new, especially in today’s climate when something new can revolutionize the way we interact and function in just a matter of a few months to a few years.
For me, one almost drives the other. In my business pursuit to stay out front I inadvertently let it creep into my personal realm…. past the shiny, gadgety things. That’s where I have to keep a constant balance and continually check my motives to make sure I am staying on track.
Off topic slightly but from a leadership stance, being out front is required… but there too comes a balance. If someone desires to be out front simply to be out front while others follow then there could possibly be an ego issue. If the desire is to lead (help make others lives better) and being out front is just a natural byproduct then all is well. All boils down to motives I guess.