You can teach old dogs new tricks.

When the plow was invented in Mesopotamia about 6000 years ago, the lives of farmers changed forever. Rather than being subsistence workers, they became part of a complex economic and social system. Those farmers aren’t unique: the world is always changing, and the pace of change keeps increasing.

Throughout history, technology has changed people and the societies around them. In addition to the plow, there’s the printing press, the steam engine, the shipping container and electricity to name just a few. If this topic interests you, check out Richard Currier’s book Unbound, Jared Diamond’s Guns Germs and Steel or Marc Levinson’s The Box.

In my profession, qualitative research, I’ve reinvented myself several times. Since becoming an independent researcher in 1996, I’ve gone through multiple evolutions.

• In the late 90s I leaned into creative and projective techniques.

• In 2010 I learned to conduct qualitative online.

• In 2014 I upped my biometrics game, then added more biometric tools in 2021.

This has required learning new skills and new ways of thinking. Right now the big challenge in my field, as in so many others, is artificial intelligence. The robots are coming, so I’ve embraced AI tools.

I recently conducted research on professional development and learned that adults across a variety of occupations are struggling. They worry about becoming obsolete, and have no idea what to do about it. They are frozen with indecision, unable to move forward.

Adapting to change has always been hard, whether you’re a person, a society or a brand. We evolved in an environment in which things changed slowly, and we’re now in a world where change is rapid and relentless. Adapting requires discomfort and brings risk. However, there are ways to push through.

Think in terms of experiments. Try things, even if you’re doubtful they’ll work. Go for modest changes that can be implemented quickly. If they don’t succeed, try something else. Failure brings knowledge and insight.

Break the task into small steps. Any large, complicated endeavor will seem less daunting if you take it one subtask at a time. Start with one new skill you want to learn and focus on that.

Focus on values, not roles. Try not to view yourself in terms of what you do, but in terms of what you believe and what’s important to you. This will bring clarity to the challenge.

Think in terms of ‘in-between.’ Rather than seeing yourself as immutably being one thing or another, get comfortable with thinking of yourself as being perpetually in a state of transition.

You don’t have to go it alone. There’s a reason we have family and friends: to help us negotiate difficult changes. While some people close to you might not be supportive, you will find people who will stand with you.

Acquiring new knowledge and learning new skills is how we maintain mental health and acuity through life. Not only can old dogs learn new tricks, they really should. So, don’t shrink from change, embrace it. Because we’re always in uncharted territory, and the need to reinvent yourself is eternal.