I Want Something New

OK, I admit it, I'm typically an early adopter. When something new comes out, I want to be one of the first to get it. Whether that's a new book or a new gadget, I want to be a trendsetter.

However, I've begun to rethink that trend, most recently with the launch of the iPad (which I don't have).

I wasn't on the whole iPod kick because when I went to buy my first MP3 player a few years ago, the person at Best Buy told me to avoid Apple products because they suck you in with all the gadgets and upgrades that get you to be dependent upon Apple for the monopoly. Without really thinking about it, I bought an iRiver instead.

So I've been pondering now my decisions over the past few years, and wondering if the decisions have really been mine or if I've actually succumbed to the crowd mentality.

I got the Kindle when Oprah told me to (and I find that I usually do what Oprah tells me) which was good (I do like it), but not so good when, just a couple of months later, Amazon updated and upgraded the Kindle, giving it more bells and whistles for a lower price.

If I'd waited, I maybe could have had a better deal. But I would have missed taking 3 big novels on vacation with me to Hawaii. Sitting on a plane or on a beach with a novel isn't as convenient as the Kindle. And I would have missed the opportunity to be the first of my friends with this new toy.

But the more I think about the reasons for wanting something new, I find most of the time it's because of my desire to provide new information and new learning. I can't help it ... every time I learn something or hear something new, I think about how I can share it with others.

The interesting thing I'm learning is that it's not the new stuff I'm interested in as I think about information; it's actually the old stuff that's the good stuff. My favorite book, Think and Grow Rich, was published in 1937 after 20+ years of research. Nothing new about that. It's the application of that "old" information that feels new to me.

Being an early adopter when it comes to "stuff" isn't as appealing to me as it once was. That's what awareness provides.

But that doesn't mean I'm not eyeing the next generation iPad!