Daily Inspiration: “10 Great Words for 2024”

“10 Great Words for 2024 – Explore, Imagine, Embrace, Challenge, Strategize, Create, Defy, Avoid, Persevere, Do!” – Futurist Jim Carroll

Happy New Year!

Keeping up with a tradition that began back in 2006 – starting each year with ‘10 Great Words’ – here’s what I’m thinking for 2024! I had a little bit of fun this year, in that I used an AI to help generate the list; I had it read through the 279 Daily Inspiration posts I wrote this year, analyzing them for the most common words and themes that I used throughout 2023. More on that below.

Welcome to another year in your future! Here are my words for 2024:

Explore: spend more time getting involved with stuff you know little about; open up your mind to the possibilities and opportunities by learning more about the things of which you are not aware.

Imagine: as you do this, spend some time thinking about what this new knowledge might do for you; the pathways they might help you create; and the future they can provide you.

Strategize: as you do this, make sure that any idea or opportunity you pursue has a strong foundation; focus on reality, not hype. This means spending more time on realistic strategies rather than fanciful, unreachable goals.

Embrace: take the time to view these new ideas and concepts as an opportunity and not a threat; spend more time ensuring that your mind is one of positivity and not of negativity when it comes to tomorrow.

Challenge: with this new knowledge, do things that you haven’t tried to do before; undertake new actions that you might have previously held back on; commit to trying to do something new instead of saying to yourself that it can’t be done.

Create: the ultimate goal of all these previous steps is to ensure that you are creating a runway for your tomorrow, a launchpad of ideas and opportunities for the year that is to come.

Defy: never let anyone tell you it can’t be done; avoid the naysayers throughout the year, the people who would bring you down rather than lift you up

Avoid: that means that as you go down this path of opportunity, avoid the noise. 2024 is going to be wild in terms of volatility, negativity, and hostility. Take the time to actively work to filter out the noise to stay focused on the things you should focus on.

Persevere: keep at it. Don’t give up. Persist always! Harden your outer shell of optimism, and fortify your resolve with personal courage.

Do: be action-oriented, rather than waiting. Accomplish things, don’t just think about them. My action word for the year – based on my post of yesterday suggesting that 2024 should be your year of action.

Creating this year’s list

I decided to use an AI to help create this year’s list, using one to come up with insight into what I seem to be writing and thinking about.

My first realization didn’t require the help of an AI – since I learned that I do seem to generate quite a bit of material. I made a PDF of all of my Daily Inspiration posts from 2023, and it’s almost 1,500 pages long when images are included!

I fed this document into PopAI.Pro – it’s one of the main AI services that I adopted throughout the year, and began to query the document for some ideas, trends, and insight. I’ve been doing a bit more of this through the year, spending time to go beyond ChatGPT querying the wider world, with a little bit more of a focus on exploring my insight and thoughts and developing the ability to look deep[er into some of my own research and content material. I have been very successful, for example, at using ChatGPT and PopAI to derive insight from the several thousands of articles that I will often download when doing customized industry research for a client keynote.

Here’s a screenshot of how I began the process for this year’s list.

Bottom line? I had quite a conversation with myself through these materials, and as part of the process, managed to come up with my list of 10 Great Words for 2024. The AI came up with an initial list of words based on an analysis of the document; I found that some of them were common to the ones I used in previous years, and played with it a bit to shape my final list as found above.

What also happened was that the AI did a pretty good job of summarizing what I’ve been writing and thinking about throughout the year, so I will share just a few of those queries and results in entirety. I found them to be an interesting read, and perhaps you will too.

What does Futurist Jim Carroll focus on in writing these Daily Inspiration posts? Provide me a summary list of 20 key points in this regard:

Based on the provided excerpts from the document, it appears that Jim Carroll is focused on sharing life guidance related to future-oriented thinking, personal development, and embracing change. Here are 20 key points of life guidance that Jim Carroll is trying to share:

• Embrace innovation and future-oriented thinking to adapt to the rapidly changing world.
• Recognize the importance of adapting to volatility and complexity in the current business environment.
• Support and appreciate the work of others, such as through small contributions or expressions of gratitude.
• Encourage bold and daring thinking and actions to align with the future.
• Share personal beliefs and strategies for aligning oneself with the future.
• Emphasize the significance of understanding and aligning with transformative trends and opportunities.
• Encourage individuals to shift from feeling overwhelmed by change to gaining a sense of control over their destiny.
• Offer a series of personal beliefs and strategies for aligning with the future through a blog or website.
• Advocate for gaining knowledge about science and its impact on the future.
• Encourage individuals to learn about other people and spend less time trying to learn about oneself.
• Promote the idea of spending time to understand the world and other people to gain insights and perspectives.
• Encourage individuals to focus on meaningful and impactful actions rather than marginal activities.
• Advocate for living at the edge and watching the crowd to understand and adapt to the future.
• Highlight the importance of recognizing and seizing genuine opportunities rather than being distracted by fleeting trends.
• Encourage individuals to think independently and do their own thinking, especially in a world where conformity is prevalent.
• Emphasize the significance of respecting diversity and understanding the audience’s range of expertise and reactions.
• Encourage individuals to turn things around and become known for doing the right thing.
• Advocate for asking new and unexplored questions to gain deeper insights and understanding.
• Encourage individuals to focus on personal growth and development to align with the future.
• Promote the idea of living a purposeful and impactful life by aligning with transformative trends and embracing change.

These points reflect Jim Carroll’s focus on guiding individuals to adopt a future-oriented mindset, embrace change, and pursue personal and professional growth to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.

What are the main ideas that Jim focused on in 2023:

The main ideas that Jim Carroll focused on during 2023 can be summarized into the following common themes:

• Embracing change and innovation: Encouraging persistence, defiance, creation, and immersion to align with the future.
• Personal and professional development: Focusing on challenging oneself, taking action, and inspiring others.
• Adapting to the future: Emphasizing the importance of aligning oneself with the future, being open to new ideas, and living at the edge of innovation.
• Reputation and personal brand: Highlighting the significance of personal branding, doing the right thing for others, and becoming known for what matters.
• A realistic approach to success: Acknowledging the need for hard work, strategic business planning, and the understanding that the future isn’t easy.

These quotes reflect a focus on resilience, adaptability, and forward-thinking, with an emphasis on personal and professional growth in the face of technological advancements and changing landscapes.

In reading these documents, what do you think about the biggest fears or worries that Jim has expressed?

Based on the provided excerpts, it is evident that Futurist Jim Carroll has expressed concerns about the impact of fear and complacency on individuals and organizations as they navigate the future. Some of the biggest fears or worries that Jim has expressed include:

• Fear of the Future: Jim emphasizes that fear is a common reaction to new and unusual situations, and it can hinder individuals from embracing change and trying new ideas. He notes that some people view the future with fear and perceive it as a threat, which can lead to a mindset of automatic recoil from approaching trends.
• Complacency and Misalignment: Jim highlights the dangers of complacency and the misalignment of expectations and budgets. He warns about the potential consequences of being unprepared for the scope and speed of change, as well as the risk of being surpassed by others who are more proactive and forward-thinking.
• Overcoming Fear: While acknowledging the prevalence of fear, Jim also encourages individuals to confront and overcome their fears. He emphasizes the power of imagination and the need to exceed one’s wildest dreams, suggesting that fear should not hold individuals back from reaching their full potential.
• Volatility and Complexity: Jim addresses the challenges posed by the new era of volatility and complexity, emphasizing the need for organizations to adapt and refine strategies to manage the rapidly changing environment.

In summary, Jim’s expressed fears and worries revolve around the potential negative impact of fear, complacency, and misalignment on individuals and organizations as they navigate the complexities and uncertainties of the future. He encourages proactive and imaginative approaches to address these concerns and embrace the opportunities presented by transformative trends.

Does Jim write about any weaknesses?

Yes, Futurist Jim Carroll does write about his weaknesses in the provided context. On page 440, he openly acknowledges his greatest weakness, stating that he is not very good at riding out the highs and lows, the ebb and flow of a world that is constantly shifting. He also mentions that in the past, his manner of dealing with this weakness was not helpful. However, he emphasizes that he now focuses on his optimism and his ability to see something good out of negative situations. Additionally, he humorously mentions his lack of creative graphic arts capability, stating that he makes up for it with tools like Canva. This candid acknowledgment of his weaknesses and his proactive approach to addressing them aligns with his overall message of self-awareness and personal growth.

Is Futurist Jim Carroll an optimist or a pessimist?

Futurist Jim Carroll is unequivocally an optimist, as evidenced by numerous quotes from the provided document excerpts. His messages consistently convey an optimistic outlook on the future, emphasizing the importance of embracing change, pursuing bold visions, and aligning oneself with transformative trends. For instance, he encourages nurturing “insane optimism,” sharing “optimism for tomorrow,” and daring to pursue the “boldest of visions.” Additionally, he dismisses negativity by advising to “ignore the prattle of the anti-futurists” and to avoid the “delusion of exceptionalism.”

These statements collectively reflect a positive and forward-thinking mindset, indicating that Futurist Jim Carroll is indeed an optimist.