1) Because they don't want to tackle modifying all pages on their site. And they are unwilling to deal with uncertainty of impact on overall site.

2) They simply refuse to change their convictions. Such a move is painful to many, and thus to be avoided at all costs.

3) If something as fundamental as this to a website has been demonstrated as "wrong," there's lots to be reconsidered. This leads to: "What else do I think I know that's wrong?"

The moment one comes to this last question, there is fear, and lots of uncertainty. Some will go to any lengths to avoid this state. They are simply unwilling to reexamine all other elements of their site and business and thus threaten their view of "rightness."

Stagnation Follows

The wise move in this hypothetical case is to come off your long held view of a navigation bar to left, and put it across top. Just swallow hard, take a deep breath, and do it. At most you are risking time and a few sales. If you keep your previous pages, they can easily be restored if a major negative unexpectedly crops up.

To do otherwise, is to cling to what you have. Which is stagnation. And ultimately decline.

It's Easier Said Than Done

It may be that business people fear change more than others do. Face it. They have their necks out and their capital is on line. Their net is generally their entire income. Make a blunder, and their family, home, and lifestyle may be suddenly at risk.

"If it ain't busted, don't fix it," is a commonly heard refrain. While likely so about many things, it's certainly not true of all. There is risk in change. Unavoidable risk. But without it, there will be no growth.

Put Fear To Work For You

Let fear urge caution as it must. And listen attentively. But let curiosity and creativity dominate. Let these powerful tools feed you new ideas. Explore all encountered. Then lock in those that work for you. Growth is impossible without this or an equivalent mindset.

These are not things you think about in your 20s or 30s. That is time in your life when you tend to feel that your future is spread out in front of you. It's as though you are standing on a spot on East Coast and you see clearly in front of you road that leads to West Coast. At 50, you are somewhere in Kansas (close to Colorado border) and now road in front of you doesn't seem so long.

In your 20s and 30s, you have luxury of saying, "I can always do that later." At 50, your "laters" are NOW.

This is not meant to be a depressing article on getting older. Turning 50 was not depressing for me. Turning 50 revitalized me. It gave me confidence to feel I could tackle those things I've always wanted to do. If I didn't succeed at something first time and I sincerely wanted it, I would keep trying and keep trying. If it wasn't meant to be, so be it; at least I gave it 100%.

The point of this article is this: Try ANYTHING that you sincerely and passionately want to do. You have nothing to lose. Feel that you're too old? How old is "too old?" "Too old" is any age YOU decide it is. If you decide there is no such age, then world will stand aside to let you pass.

I am slowly shortening my list of "Wish-Idas." More and more I'm thinking when I look back on my life, I'll be saying, "I've had a full life following my passions. Successes and failures, but at least I tried."

Never place limits on yourself. Don't let it be YOU sitting in a rocking chair on a front porch, regretting "Wish-Idas."

"Do not aspire to immortality, but exhaust limits of possible." Pindar