Skip to content
Staying on a stone for 3 years is an act of suicide! To survive in an unpredictable era.

Staying on a stone for 3 years is an act of suicide! To survive in an unpredictable era.

It's a bit late to say this, but 'three years on a stone'.

I hear people say, 'Work hard in the same place for three years'.
However, in this day and age, staying in the same position for three years is a bit too leisurely.

Well, many people are saying, 'Three years is already an old story'.
I also feel like it's not something to talk about now.
This time, I'll add my own interpretation and think about 'three years on a stone'.

Why 'three years on a stone' doesn't fit in today's era.

It's because 'it's an era of chasing invisible needs and the future'.
'Invisible' is the keyword, isn't it?

For example, when starting a business.
When launching a new business.

Until now, clear problems were visible.
Solving those problems was the core of business.
If there's no product, just make one.
If there's no necessary service, just create one.

People worked hard to solve even small problems.
As a result, people became satisfied.
People can now lead sufficiently satisfying lives with existing services and products.

In that case, the desire to buy something diminishes.
If you have everything you need around you, you'll be satisfied, won't you?
Because you can buy anything you reach for, and there's 'nothing' you lack in life.
It's natural not to feel compelled to want anything.

That's why it has become necessary to create work from new concepts that didn't exist before.
When 'things' are already overflowing, a different way of thinking is needed to aim for the next level.

Well, I think there are people who wonder, 'What's the point of evolving further than now!'
They might think, 'Isn't it enough to develop the world anymore?'
Takeshi Kitano also says it's better to value honorable poverty.
I also think honorable poverty makes a lot of sense.

But, whether it's autonomous driving or VR, everyone uses them once they become convenient.
No matter what we say, the world will continue to evolve at an incredible pace.
If we do nothing, we'll be left behind in an instant.
When convenient things are released, people will use them.
If the world gets better with new technology, people will eventually adapt to it.
As a result, if we do nothing, the market will simply be taken away.

To avoid being left behind by such a law of the world, we must exercise our imagination.
To further evolve the world, we must compete with those who burn with passion.
In an era where desires are fulfilled and people no longer know what they want, we need to create new products.
We must create form on a completely blank slate where no market exists.
We have to create from zero to one, come up with new ideas, and build them.

In that case, you won't know until you try.

Of course, there are no existing markets, past examples, or data.
Whether it will succeed or not, you just have to try.

In such an era, I will consider 'three years on a stone'.

With the current speed, needs discovered in three years will have disappeared.
Instead, we must constantly create future needs.
The demand for the idea that initially came to mind should have disappeared.

Furthermore, businesses can also fail.
No matter how much you think 'this idea is necessary for the world!', when it doesn't sell, it doesn't sell.
Moreover, things that were thought to be completely useless sometimes become a huge hit.

An example of that is Dropbox.

Dropbox was initially completely ignored by famous investors.
There were so many competitors that they were told, 'It's pointless to enter now'.
It's what is commonly called a red ocean.

However, when they opened the lid, the quality of the service became the decisive factor, and it quickly spread worldwide.
Silicon Valley investors could not predict this trend at all.
Even veteran Silicon Valley investors could not foresee the future.
Uncertain and unpredictable, that is what the present is.

This is not limited to business alone.
Perhaps, the skills you are currently acquiring might become unusable in a few years.

I encountered the 'phenomenon of becoming unusable' with a technology called Flash.
I thought I had finally become 'quite proficient' after spending three years on it.
However, Apple started saying Flash was dead, and it became completely unusable.

Oh wow, I'd put so much effort into it, seriously? I thought.
That's why I have the awareness that what I have in my hands might disappear at any time.
I live with the resolve that what I've built up could disappear at any moment. Always.

The skills and jobs I currently possess and cultivate are uncertain.
They might become unusable in five years.
The entire industry might disappear.

photo-1470093851219-69951fcbb533

We can't afford to be leisurely for three years.
Now, run while doing, think while creating.
Just put it out there and then make fine adjustments.
Such a flow is necessary.
So that we can adapt even if the predicted future changes.

Therefore, instead of saying unrealistic things like 'three years on a stone,' let's live firmly in reality.
If we are to live realistically, let's pay attention to social trends and acquire what is needed now.
Once you quickly get what you need next, move on by looking to the next future.
This kind of speed is suitable for the current era.

So, if you spend 'three years on a stone,' you'll be too slow.
If you're going to build up, you need to determine 'where' it is that 'won't disappear forever'.
Businesses that yield results the more you continue them certainly exist.
Blogs, YouTube, etc., content you've built up almost never disappears.
For things where your efforts won't disappear, I think it's better to keep building them up forever.
If you're going to build up, don't choose the wrong place to do it.

At the very least, staying at a company and taking '3 years to learn the job' is too optimistic.
It's enough to make one worry if you're truly thinking about your own future.

Let's get used to carefully observing current trends and the future, and acting quickly.
By gaining the flexibility and ability to adapt to changing times, your future will open up.

上山 翔太

WRITTEN BY

上山 翔太

2007年からWEBデザイナー / エンジニアとして活動を開始。2015年には、セブ島にて立ち上げた日本人対象のクリエイター育成スクールと運営していたメディアを売却。その後、アメリカで事業デザインを無理やり学ぶ。帰国後は起業家育成プログラムを立ち上げ、新規事業開発、起業家育成に従事するほか、マーケティング戦略策定、ウェブ開発技術を提供。「IT留学シェアハウス」や「起業教育・支援プラットフォーム」を開発、運営。その後、株式会社QUONを立ち上げ。WEB制作事業を軸として、クリエイターと起業家を産む村づくりプロジェクトなどをバリ島と日本を中心に推進。

MORE FROM QUON

KEEP READING

LET’S TALK

Please tell us your story.