Modern science tells us that the only constant in the universe is change. Like death and taxes, change is unavoidable. What’s worse? Change is scary too.

In the ever-changing, constantly growing high-tech world that we live in, it can be tough sometimes to deal with changes in technology. Sure, advances in technology have largely made our lives better – but with these advancements comes a learning curve that can be pretty intimidating. It’s easy to remain complacent and do things how they used to be done instead of forging ahead and embracing the way of the future.

Here at DineEngine, we challenge ourselves (and you) to embrace the future!

In the spirit of boldly facing change, I would like to share with you a source of motivation – my grandma, Mary Hoffman. Allow me to digress.

Grandma Mary is not your run-of-the-mill grandma. I know I’m clearly biased, but trust me, she’s incredible.

Grandma raised three children, while traipsing all over the globe in the 50s and 60s with her husband, moving from London to the Middle East to Austria and Germany. After returning to the States and becoming a single mom, she launched her career in public radio, where she interviewed jazz and opera stars and eventually was promoted to the position of program director. Her interviews have been nationally broadcast on NPR. She’s smart, bright, funny, incredibly well-traveled and can talk to just about anyone about anything.

I could go on for days about grandma, but the fact is, she’s a pretty badass woman and always has been – largely because she has never cowered in the face of change.

A little over five years ago, my grandma was finishing her first novel (badass) and was starting to get serious about getting the novel published. She told me that she had spoken with a publishing agent who had recommended that her first step be to create a Facebook page, because, like most octogenarians, she didn’t have one.

At the time, grandma was fairly proficient using her PC and emailing, but felt overwhelmed at the idea of creating a Facebook page. Something that wouldn’t phase a pre-teen seemed an unfathomable task to my granny. In order to help her get her book published, I stepped in.

I spent an hour or two making a Facebook page for grandma, adding photos and creating a profile. And then, I showed her how to use it. It was a slow process at first – there was a bit of a learning curve – but she caught on quickly.

My college roommates thought it was so funny when my grandma would call while we were studying to ask me a Facebook-related question; I loved it. I loved how it challenged her, and how it opened her up to being more adventurous with technology. It wasn’t easy for her, but overtime she had fewer and fewer questions, and fast-forward to 2015…

Grandma has a smart phone. Grandma uses her Facebook and mobile banking apps like a champ. Grandma knows how to text. Grandma’s book was published. She is pretty badass for an 88 year old lady.

So what’s the takeaway here?

Don’t get comfortable. Embrace the change. And forge ahead!

What technological hurdles do you have to jump? How can we help you or your company be a little more badass? Let us know!