It’s a good question, and you need to think about it. Because history teaches us who the winners are.
Will Your 2030 Self Be Happy with Your 2020 Self?
Daily Inspiration: “Rather than bemoaning what you’ve lost in the old world, celebrate what you’ve won in this new world!”
“Rather than bemoaning what you’ve lost in the old world, celebrate what you’ve won in this new world!” – Futurist Jim Carroll
Six months in, I can proudly say I’m pretty proud of where I’ve ended up!
I put in the effort. My last big stage event was February 14th – it was a pretty magical stage setup. My new ‘stage’ setups are looking pretty nice too! I guess I set my mindset way back at the start, observing:
“A key rule to live by? When tomorrow is happening today, the future won’t wait for you to jump on board! ”
What I wrote around that particular quote? It seems particularly relevant today:
——
Far too many people and companies have missed out on the trends imposed by our disruptive future because they’ve waited too long to make the decisions that really matter.
The result is that they miss out on opportunity, fall further behind, which makes it even more difficult to catch up with major trends.
A cumulative series of steps like this lead to an ever increasing downward spiral, making the challenge all that much more intense over time.
Don’t defer small decisions – move forward!
Never slow down – keep going!
Don’t be driven by indecision – it’s better to do something instead of doing nothing!
Because progress will come in fits and starts – the road to success is always uneven!
——
The road to success is still pretty uneven – bookings in this strange new world are still sproadic and uneven – building I’m healthy, having a huge amount of fun in the home studio, and am pretty proud of what I’ve built!
But I haven’t stopped yet.
Have you?
Daily Inspiration: “It’s times like these you learn to learn again!”
“It’s times like these you learn to learn again!” – Futurist Jim Carroll
(With a shoutout to Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters!)
What new skill or capability have you learned during the last six months? What’s your plan for the next six if you find yourself, like me, having to reinvent at a pace that is simply staggering?
I look at what I was able to do in my virtual broadcast studio on February 16 – which is to say, not much. I had a green wall and not much more – but an imagination. Having just returned from one of my last events in Las Vegas, I already had a sense that my successful 25 year track record as a speaker on stage was going off the rails – fast.
So I started to learn. Slowly, at first. My first online broadcast attempt was with a still image background. (I will says I already had remarkable video production capabilities with my overseas video producer – I’ve got a fantastic video coming up after today! – but really had no capability to ‘go live and do a show.’)
My green wall became my canvas of creativity, my launchpad for reinvention.
And I moved crazy fast – I still am! Today, I think I’m leading the global pack when it comes to virtual keynote capabilities. I am sometimes stunned by how much I’ve been able to learn – and yet am frustrated that I have so much more learning to do. There are capabilities with video editing, creative design, staging that are on my list, and every day, I set out to try to learn a little bit more.
I was reflecting on this journey of knowledge yesterday while out on a long bike ride – and then the Foo Fighters song Times Like These popped into my music list.
In my mind I heard “It’s times like these you learn to learn again” instead of “you learn to live again.”
What an apt metaphor!
Reinvention surrounds us – and you need to be a part of it. You can also gain tremendous inspiration when you see it in action. Case in point – I’m on a Facebook group of event and meeting planners – individuals like myself who had a career based on a now-decimated meeting and convention industry. It includes people who manage vast Las Vegas conferences and events, staging and AV company representatives, all the way to individuals who provide a vast range of other services to the industry -ticketing, food, party planning services and more.
Reinvention? I was inspired by a post by one individual who commented, “I started teaching on Outschool a couple months ago. This company began as online learning platform for primarily homeschoolers but has had exponential growth since quarantine began.”
The key line that reached right into my soul and gave it an electric shock of enthusiasm?
“It’s a great opportunity if you can take topics you already speak about and convert them into kid-friendly classes. With many parents keeping their kids home this upcoming school year I think the growth potential is unlimited.”
Pathways for reinvention are everywhere – it’s all up to you! New industries are being born, ideas are being launched, successful pathways are being constructed, opportunities are accelerating. Be a part of it!
Times like these? You learn to live again. Take some inspiration from the BBC project, Live Lounge Allstars!
Daily Inspiration: “When the world gets you down? Pick yourself up again – be like Fiji!”
“When the world gets you down? Pick yourself up again – be like Fiji!” – Futurist Jim Carroll
The only way to get better in the home studio is to do more in the home studio. A part of my new strategy is to find the stories to tell and the insight to share – this is all entirely new, and so I need to reinvent my approach every day.
With that in mind, my keyword yesterday became “reinvent” – and it was based on noting that this particular post was being shared quite a bit yesterday, it seems among a corporate group. (I do a lot of traffic analysis on my site.) Give it a watch – it’s a great story involving the future, optimism, opportunity and reinvention – all around the tiny potato industry in the tiny island nation of Fiji!
The essence of the story? It’s found in a blog post I wrote after I discovered their booth at the trade show for the National Potato Expo in 2015, where I was the featured keynote speaker.
The story is simple – the motivation, wonderful!
So imagine my surprise while wandering around the trade show floor at Potato Expo 2015, last January, where I had finished a keynote, and coming across the booth for Fiji.
That’s the Pacific nation best known for tourism, fruit exports, and other niche economic sectors. And here they are, at Potato Expo 2015.
And apparently, don’t have much of a potato industry. Of the top 10 potator producing countries in the world, Fiji ranks 153rd.
In fact, the country has to import most of it’s potato supply, some $22 million USD worth per year.
But they are also thinking beyond that, and are thinking of export potential. I spoke to the folks at the booth, and their attitude was simple. Growing food demand and a lush agricultural sector meant that they could see nothing upside, potential and opportunity. So they thought it important to be there, as a way to begin exploring the opportunity.
As I conclude, “Now that’s optimism and innovation!”
Staring at an uncertain future? Be like Fiji!
Here’s the video clip that I ended up putting together in the home studio around the story. Enjoy!
Video: “Be Like Fiji! What We Can Learn About Potatoes, Stickmen and Reinvention!”
So, I filmed a thing yesterday. It’s all about optimism and reinvention.
Be like Fiji – capturing me on stage in Morocco last yaer in a keynote for the World Bank!
And the second, all about stickmen and my own reinvention, from a keynote for the annual tax conference for EY. Entitled, appropriately, “Don’t Let Anyone Crush Your Creativity!”
Reinvent! Always!
Video: “Why Do Smart Companies Do Stupid Things?”
Because of this!
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