IF IT AINT BROKE… BREAK IT

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
 It’s good old conventional wisdom. Why should you want to fix something that is still working? Wouldn’t that be madness?

The common electric fan, invented by Dr Schulyer Wheeler in 1886, is reputed to be one gadget that has hardly undergone a fundamental change in over a hundred and twenty years of existence. It is probably the best example of the saying: ‘if it aint broke, don’t fix it.” In a world of dizzying speed in inventions and improvements to gadgets this simple convenience has held its ground and continues to this day in its simplistic beauty.

But look through all of history as far back as you can see. You will see that this is the exception, not the rule.

What was “broke” with the human leg when the ancients decided to tame and use horses for their trips? Nothing. What was “broke” with the horse’s leg when wheels were invented to carry more luggage? Nothing. What was wrong with the horse to warrant a bicycle? Nothing. What was wrong with the bicycle to warrant a motorcycle? Nothing. What was wrong with the motorcycle to warrant a car? Nothing. What was wrong with the car to warrant an aero plane? Nothing. Nothing will go wrong with the aero plane for a higher and better means of transportation to come up. You can bet on it.

So what’s the lesson?
Don’t wait for things to get broken before you look for a solution. That will be reactionary. And societies or people that are reactionary are always at the mercy of the ones that start the action. Take a second look around you; if you find yourself not making as much progress as you would love to, or if you find your community not taking the leaps it should be capable of, or your organization not achieving what its potential predicts, then be assured that it is because some things have not been fixed recently – because they aren’t broken yet.

But the idea is in your head; the inspiration lies within you. The simple innovation begs for you to give it life and the YAT Team asks that you do just that here:
You read it right, we are not broke, we don’t need fixing, but we can grow and transform and become better for the future. Together we will build Nigeria into the world class Nation of our dreams. And as another ancient saying goes, dreams can come true.

SERENDIPITY

Where do you look for good luck?

In petty trade…

Rose graduated from university 4 years ago with a second class upper in accountancy. She had written every test she could hear of and submitted her CV to as many organizations and persons as she could find. Yet she had remained unemployed. She eventually took to petty selling in offices. On one fateful day she was hawking her goods in an oil company when she learnt they were looking for a graduate in accounting. There and then she jokingly asked if she can apply and she got the job the next day. She may not have been the best qualified for the job, but she was there when it mattered most. Serendipity.

In an annoying accident…

An engineer at Canon carelessly placed his hot soldering iron on his pen and noticed a moment later that ink was ejected from the pen. Maybe it was a careless accident, but it led to the invention of inkjet printers. Serendipity.

In last night’s dinner…

In 1898, two young men left their cooked wheat unattended. The next day, they attempted rolling it into a sheet just for fun. The mischievous playtime activity of the Kellogg brothers gave the world cornflakes. Serendipity.

In a failed product…

Someone in 3M, the manufacturing giant, was fooling around and came up with a glue that was too weak for any good. It was an idea condemned to the dustbin, until Arthur Fry, stumbled on it and used it to stick up notes in his church hymnal. The popular invention is the coloured paper we all use for reminders – Post It Notes.

Viagra was a drug intended to cure hypertension and that was the regular prescription, until someone noticed that the elderly men taking it were reporting improved libido. The highly successful drug was now repackaged and marketed for that serendipitous quality.

In everyday things and misfortunes…

Wherever you turn –  be it Christopher Columbus’ misadventure in trying to find a new route to India that eventually resulted in the discovery America, the accidental discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming, or the discovery of the potency of Viagra –  there is always that hand of the unseen playing games with human destiny, placing clues for the open minded and the observant to stumble on something fortunate while looking for a completely unrelated object. That is the definition of serendipity.

Right where you are, the little occurrences, annoyances and misadventures that you discard so easily may actually be serendipity knocking on your door. Are you open minded and observant enough to let it work for you?

If you are reading this, you are at the right place at the right time too