I’m on vacation with my family at the Curonian Spit in Lithuania. This is a breathtakingly beautiful place – a thin stripe of sand dunes and pine woods washed by the Baltic Sea on one side and the Curonian Bay on the other.
There are bike routes running through the whole length of the spit, an endless sandy beach, and plenty of wild birds and animals. The food is cheap and the Lihuanians are friendly. We all had a lot of fun biking, walking and bathing in the cold waters of the Baltic.
For me this is also a nostalgic experience – I’ve spent most of my childhood summers on the Baltic Sea. But it’s been more than 20 years since I last tasted its lightly-salted waters (compared to the intense saltiness of the Mediterranean). So the first plunge really brought back memories.The taste didn’t change.
But other things did. In fact there was a surprise. When we first approached the sea my kids shouted : ‘медузы!’ ( jellyfish in Russian). I laughed and said that it’s impossible – there are no jellyfish in this sea. But the kids were right – the waves were full of transparent-pinkish jellyfish, small and large. They are harmless – they don’t burn you like their Mediterranean sisters, but the sheer fact of their presence got me shocked. I’ve never seen one jellyfish in my whole childhood!
I asked around and Lithuanians confirmed – this is a new phenomena – the sea became warmer and the jellyfish started arriving in hordes a few years ago.
This got me thinking about change. I love change – I embrace it, and frankly – I see no other way. And the case of jellyfish in the Baltic is how the world shows us once again that change is the only constant thing there is. What we believe to be true today will be proven wrong tomorrow. Jellyfish will inhabit northern seas. New technologies will disrupt our industries. Experience will mean nothing without mental flexibility and willingness to learn.
There is no use complaining about ‘nothing being the same’. We need to accept the new conditions and make the best use of them. Whoever fails to adapt – withers and dies. The other day I saw small kids playing with the jellyfish – piling them up in the sand. For them it’s the most natural thing to do.
I want to always remember to do the same – be it in business, technology art or personal life – accept the changing conditions and play with them to achieve maximum fun and value – for myself and for those around me – be it customers, co- workers, audience or family.