John Henry and his hammer

Don't fight the change, embrace it

John Henry is a 19th-century American railroad worker with exceptional skills in hammering. To keep his job and protect his colleagues from being fired, John challenged a steam drill to a contest of speed to lay the tracks. Heroically, he won the contest but the effort killed him in a heart attack.

Some people view John’s tale as a heroic battle against new technology alongside greedy capitalists. However, it is still questionable if he made the right choice in response to the inevitable industrial transformation. Couldn’t he embrace the change and find a way to coexist with the steam drill? His experience in the construction field must’ve been useful even his physical skill became obsolete.

There’s only one principle in this world that doesn’t change over time and the principle is the only constant in life is change. Sooner or later, your skills and experiences will become less relevant to the world and they ultimately become out of time. Thus, we must keep evolving and learn how to make a good exit on time.

If you have ever visited the “Killed by Google” site, you will be surprised how many programs Google has failed. It will come to you as a shock that Google has even survived after all these failures.

Or, perhaps, all these failed cases are good exits in disguise. New techs and ideas are emerging and disappearing at the speed of light in today’s world. Giving up well, letting go of an outdated goal or situation, is not a sign of failure but a valuable skill to survive. Nevertheless, so many people refuse to give up their old methods and goals so they can keep their face and jobs regardless that the sooner you give up the better plan B you will have.

Drop that hammer, before it's too late.