A little bit of Bowie, and a little bit of epic….
I’m a little guy on a great big stage with a great big message.
Video: Are You Really Slow in the Era of Fast?
Daily Inspiration: “You’re going to need a bigger picture when it comes to that ‘vision thing’.”
“You’re going to need a bigger picture when it comes to that ‘vision thing’.” – Futurist Jim Carroll
NASA didn’t get to the moon by thinking small; it didn’t set itself a small vision.
Neither should you in a world in which there are new competitors eager to vanquish your business model, make your product line irrelevant, or simply redefine your industry. You need to think bigger, because the future is bigger than you think!
That’s why the first part of my key mantra – and the title of my upcoming book, still a work in progress – is Think Big.
You need a bigger vision of your future, based on bold goals, a broad reach, and a larger effort towards success.
In the era of acceleration, you need to do a better job with that ‘vision thing.’
In healthcare, genomic science and device connectivity rules the future – is it part of your vision?
Cars and trucks are essentially become computers, and connectivity is the new horsepower : is your business aligned?
In retail, logistics and delivery is everything : are you still wasting time on signing your next lease?
Agriculture is shifting to 24 hour farming : are you still planning for just a 10 hour day?
With 3D printing, the future of manufacturing is all about mass customization and building to a market of one : are you still thinking in terms of big production runs?
You won’t get ahead in the future by thinking small, and your future starts with your vision of that future.
Is it big enough?
Daily Inspiration: “Do what you love, so that you’ll love what you do!”
“Do what you love, so that you’ll love what you do!” – #Futurist Jim Carroll
One of the most inspiring things for people to do is to pursue their passion. You can see it all around you look for it – people who give up a traditional career path to follow a different one that involves something that is at the essence of their being.
Someone who might give up on a road that involves one type of education degree to do something entirely different!
I’m a futurist, but I started out as an accountant – probably one of the most bizarre career transitions of all time. Along the way, I was an an e-mail consultant, a ‘competitive intelligence professional,’ and a few other right turns along the way.
Why? Because I discovered that the connectivity from technology was going to change the world and I wanted to be a part of it.
In my neighbourhood, we have a young woman who earned a college degree, but who seems determined to pursue a pathway as a pastry chef and cook. What a wonderful thing!
Then there is my son – he wasn’t terribly enthusiastic working in an aspect of his chosen career path that involved a lot of routine, boring work. Today? He’s building a drone startup company!
Both of them are doing what they love – and certainly love what they do!
Take a look around, and seek inspiration from those who have pursued a right turn in their life.
It might be a massive struggle, but they certainly have a different perspective on the world.
Keynote: DTN Energy, Omaha Nebraska – The Future of Transportation and Energy
The era of oil is over! Everyone from Forbes to Bloomberg is now reporting on what I observed as a trend years ago – that we’ve got so much momentum with renewables, energy microgrids, electric vehicles and battery storage technology, that essentially the dominance of carbon based energy is drawing to an end. That was the focus of my keynote at this event, with a room full of energy executives, including many involved in the ‘downstream’ – i.e. gas station – industry.
Focused on Success? Here’s What You Should Avoid!
I’ve long been accused of being relentlessly optimism in the face of long odds. It’s a message I share on stage, in my writings, and in my personal life.
If you have a similar mindset, how do you maintain it? Hang out with other optimists! People who have a belief that we have an opportunity to make the future what we want it to be – rather than the potentially negative future that might come about.
How do you do that?Stop spending time with people who possess these human traits:
- a relentlessly negative attitude
- continual pessimism
- pervasive procrastination
- a small thinking mind
- the dominance of indecision
- close minded opinions
- never learning
- distracted easily
- a lack of focus
- distinctly lacking in curiosity
- a narrow focus
- an inability to collaborate
- lazy and unmotivated
- an unquestioning mind
- a longing for the past
- forever relying on old glories and achievements
- bigots and racists (d’uh!)
The list could go on…
A lot of how your future will unfold has to do with the company you keep.
Take an inventory of who inspires your creativity, charges up your outlook, and who motivates you for the future.
Video: What’s Up with the Future of Energy, Transportation & Downstream Suppliers?
I’m off to Omaha, Nebraska, later today, where tomorrow, I will keynote the DTN Energy Summit.
The room will be full of executives and operational managers who make decisions with respect to gas and energy supplies for the transpiration sector – gas stations and more. I’ll put into perspective the trends that might shake up their reality in the years to come, and filmed a pre-event video to start to stir up their thinking. Give it a watch!\\\
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