Check out this headline...

Kmart workers believe all the stores are going to be imminently shut down

I didn't even know Kmart was still around!

While I do have fond memories of my parents chasing flashing blue lights after buying me a $0.25 ham and cheese sandwich on a potato roll, the last time I even stepped inside a Kmart was about 12 years ago — and boy, was that place a mess.

Half-empty shelves underneath flickering fluorescent tubes that probably hadn't been replaced since the late ’80s, that particular Kmart looked like something out of an old propaganda film about the dangers of communism. I half-expected to be greeted by a Soviet guard handing out two rolls of sandpaper toilet paper to every comrade in line.

It was sad.

But Kmart did have a nice run.

Before Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) and Target (NYSE: TGT) came to your neighborhood, Kmart was the only game in town. You could get everything there: clothes, bikes, food, games... whatever you needed, it was there.

Of course, like all great dynasties, Kmart fell victim to complacency.

The once-great retailer was unable to survive because it simply did not keep pace with a rapidly changing world. On pricing, selection, convenience, and overall strategy, Kmart fell short when it was time to compete with a new generation of big box stores.

But we shouldn't mourn the loss of Kmart. We should celebrate what it once was and use its “fall from greatness” story as an important lesson: All markets change, evolve, and adapt. And as an investor, if you don't adapt, too, your portfolio will eventually look as dismal as a modern-day Kmart.

A Gentle Reminder

On Sunday, we got word that the proposed merger between Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and SolarCity (NASDAQ: SCTY) is close to becoming a done deal. But some folks aren't particularly enthusiastic.

As I wrote last month, most investment banks, financial news reporters, and armchair analysts have been quite bearish on this deal, just as they were when Musk unveiled his plan to sell electric cars more than 10 years ago. And here we are today, with Tesla being one of the greatest automotive success stories ever.

Elon Musk and Tesla singlehandedly made electric cars a reality, and now nearly every major automaker has an electric in the showroom or in production. Heck, Volkswagen just recently announced that it now has plans to have 30 electric cars in its lineup in just 10 years, with many of them being made in North America.

So while a lot of people continue to question Tesla's plans, I would remind everyone that when it comes to introducing highly disruptive business models, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is smarter than all of us.

Be Like Musk

Last week, Elon Musk revealed his next “Master Plan.”

The first, which was also highly criticized more than a decade ago, included:

1. Create a low-volume car, which would necessarily be expensive.
2. Use that money to develop a medium-volume car at a lower price.
3. Use that money to create an affordable, high-volume car.

Now that those elements have been successfully completed, Musk has moved on to his next list of goals, which includes:

1. Create stunning solar roofs with seamlessly integrated battery storage.
2. Expand the electric vehicle product line to address all major segments.
3. Develop a self-driving capability that is 10 times safer than manual via massive fleet learning.
4. Enable your car to make money for you when you aren't using it.

Now, there's one interesting connection between all of these goals, both past and present...

They all require an enormous amount of battery production.

The very thing that makes it possible for Elon Musk's empire to exist is high-volume, low-cost battery production. And the very thing that makes high-volume, low-cost battery production possible is lithium.

Bottom line: If you're looking for an effective way to invest in the future of auto manufacturing — which is, without a doubt, electric cars — you need to have some exposure to lithium. Because understand, the electric car revolution is not resting solely on the shoulders of Tesla.

While Tesla certainly ignited this revolution, there isn't a single carmaker today that's not integrating electric vehicles into its lineup.

None of these guys wants to be the Kmart of carmakers... especially since it won't be much longer before electric cars are competitive with internal combustion vehicles — and without subsidies.

In fact, Bloomberg predicts we'll reach this point in just five more years, at which time electric cars will account for 35% of all new vehicle sales.

Chances are, either you or someone you know will buy an electric car within the next five years. And if you're smart, you'll get some exposure to the lithium space today, so when it is time to buy that new electric car, you'll be able to pay cash, using some of your profits from your early stake in the lithium market.

To a new way of life and a new generation of wealth...

Jeff Siegel

@JeffSiegel on Twitter

Jeff is the founder and managing editor of Green Chip Stocks, a private investment community that capitalizes on opportunities in alternative energy, organic food markets, legal cannabis, and socially-responsible investing. He has been a featured guest on Fox, CNBC, and Bloomberg Asia, and is the author of the best-selling book, Investing in Renewable Energy: Making Money on Green Chip Stocks. For more on Jeff, go to his editor''s page.