Daily Inspiration: “There are two types of people in the world. Successful ones who listen to futurists. And other people!”

“There are two types of people in the world. Successful ones who listen to futurists. And other people!” – Futurist Jim Carroll

That’s a little bit blunt, isn’t it?

But it’s quite true! For well over 25 years, my primary role has been advising people and organizations about the trends that will impact them, the future they might see, what tomorrow might bring. With clients like Disney, NASA, the World Bank, and more, I must be pretty good at it!

And yet I observe people always saying such things as “wow, I didn’t see that coming.” “If we only knew!” “Who could have predicted that!” “What a surprise!” “We never had the slightest idea!”

I did! And so did my many counterparts who spend our time studying trends, thinking about tomorrow, conducting our research, analyzing our analysis. If you are continually surprised by what comes next, you are missing opportunities by way of negligence!

Tomorrow morning I’ll be spending time with the owner’s group of a major pizza franchise organization in the US; they are bringing me in (virtually, of course!) for an overview of what the restaurant and food industry might look like through 2021 and beyond, post-Covid. They know that their universe has shifted, the customer has changed forever, lifestyle and behavioral patterns have been redefined.

They have a rough sense as to what comes next but believe that they need some good, concise, research-backed insight on how to make sense of all the future-noise. That’s my job and is indicative of the odd-job that I’ve been practicing for close to thirty years. I don’t mind saying that I’m pretty good at it.

Are you thinking about tomorrow? Are you actually do something about it? Or does surprise rule your agenda and define your future?