How to get your goal

"A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be." Wayne Gretsky

I have been contemplating this quote today and feel it applies to technology and competitiveness in business. It is difficult to be on the cutting edge. It is tough! You have to try things that don't work sometimes and you have to look dumb sometimes.

Whether it is implementing new technology or a new curriculum -- anything new is risky! I believe in pushing the envelope.

Alvin Toffler in FutureShock stated

• "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn."

It is time to learn something new. Web 2.0 is emerging -- no it is not here yet. Will your business be a casualty or will it be a victor? (My computer science class is building a wiki page of information that is turning into a good resource.)

Look into it. Learn about it. I believe every businessman or woman who wants to compete should get a bloglines account (RSS technology) and learn how to use it to subscribe to important information. Last week I asked all of my students to subscribe and set up an account -- who was first -- my eighth graders. The older students already set in their ways couldn't understand this new part of the Net. They are now -- can we keep a young mentality and learn new things even if we don't understand them. (Of course my answer to any unknown knowledge is to Google first and guess later.)

Act now! Learn Now! Politicians without blogs will become irrelevant! Business people who are not using RSS feeds will not be able to compete! Learn now!

Wayne also has another quote I like: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."