**Change Doesn’t Always Feel Like Change: Recognizing Transformation While It’s Happening**

We tend to think of change as something dramatic. A moment we can point to. A before and after. A headline.

But most of the time, that’s not how it works.

Most of the time, change feels like… life.

A new app. A faster way to schedule. A slightly different way to fill out a form.

Another system update. Another dashboard. Another click.

And because of that, many of us miss the significance of what’s really happening.

We assume that if the world were truly transforming, we’d feel it.

But transformation doesn’t always show up with fanfare.

Sometimes, it arrives in silence—rewriting how we live and work while we’re too busy to notice.

**The Internet Didn’t Ask for Permission**

Think back to when you first got online.

For some, that meant AOL login sounds and slow-loading message boards.

For others, it was Facebook in high school, or Wi-Fi in the house for the first time.

And for many younger people today, there’s no memory of being offline at all.

Whatever your entry point—that moment changed everything.

It changed how we communicate, how we learn, how we do business, how we govern.

But in the moment, it didn’t feel like a revolution.

It felt like convenience. It felt like curiosity. It felt like life.

The internet didn’t show up and say, “Hey, we’re about to change society.”

It just embedded itself—one login at a time.

**We’re in Another One of Those Moments**

Except this time, it’s happening faster.

Artificial intelligence. Automation. Agentic systems.

Decentralized infrastructure. Machine-speed decision-making.

The headlines talk about layoffs. Productivity gains. Disruption. Transformation.

But on the ground, it still feels… subtle.

A chatbot here. A new tool there. A growing number of tasks being handled behind the scenes.

And because of that, some organizations—especially those rooted in public service or traditional workflows—are slow to recognize what’s happening.

Not out of denial. But out of momentum.

It’s hard to reflect when you’re busy managing operations, serving communities, or just trying to keep your systems running.

**But This Time, We Have a Choice**

When the internet reshaped our world, most of us were passengers.

We adapted because we had to—but we didn’t get much say in what it became.

This time can be different.

We can choose to notice the change as it’s happening, instead of catching up after it’s already happened.

We can choose to ask better questions:

* What’s changing right now—quietly—in our workflows?

* What tools are our teams reaching for without asking?

* What tasks are already being handled by automation, even if we haven’t formally acknowledged it?

And most importantly:

What do we want this next chapter to feel like—for our teams, our clients, our communities?

**Final Thought**

Change doesn’t always feel like change.

But if you know what to look for, you can start to see the fault lines early—and design for what comes next.

For New Mexico agencies, small businesses, and community organizations, this is a rare opportunity:

To pause.

To observe.

To name what’s happening—before it names you.

Because the next wave of transformation is already here.

And those who notice it first will be the ones best equipped to lead through it.