10 years ago, I appeared on stage in Las Vegas in front of 7,000 people, for a talk about the criticality of innovative thinking – but also reflected on how some people simply try to shut it down.
Here’s an assembled clip of the highlights!
“A great idea is a terrible mind to waste!” – Futurist Jim Carroll
What a busy stage – there was so much going on up there, I was barely able to concentrate!
That’s not quite true, but it certainly was an interesting setup – I think the art director was given a budget that went into overtime. The stage setup appeared even busier when a video clip was added into the middle screen. I don’t know how the audience was able to concentrate….
Back to busy minds and busy ideas – do you run the risk of losing any great idea you might have, simply because you’ve become too busy to remember it?
Einstein had a busy mind – and was able to release the ideas that might otherwise have been kept inside. Our world would be very different today if he had not been able to set them free…..
Lost ideas are squandered opportunities. – and they can often be lost as quickly as they are discovered, particularly when you are distracted. If you are determined to become your own personal idea machine, then you ‘d better make sure you have a methodology in place to release them, capture them, record them – and eventually implement them.
Take the time to ensure that you don’t waste or lose track of any great idea, because every idea is a possible moment of brilliance, waiting to be unleashed upon the world….
“If time is money – invest in yourself wisely!” – Futurist Jim Carroll
Every day involves a variety of choices – as to what you will do next, the path you will follow, the actions you will take, the goals you will pursue.
The result of all these actions? The cumulative investment that you make in what your tomorrow may bring!
Choose wisely!
You should also take some time to think about the return that you might get from your personal investment effort. On stage, I will often talk about what I’ve come to call ‘experiential capital.’ It’s the accumulated experience that you build up from trying new ideas, pursuing new goals, and mastering new knowledge.
And it is one of the most important investments that you can make in your future.
Why? Because your world tomorrow is not going to be like the one you know today – it is going to be very different. You need to have an innovative mindset, and pursue innovative concepts, to make sure that you arrive there in good shape.
With that in mind, you need to try out new ideas and experience new things, in order to build up your experience with the different world of tomorrow. The more experience you get under your belt, the better you are positioned for the future.
And that is what I’ve come to call ‘experiential capital.’
The more experiential capital you have, the better positioned you will be for success.
Innovative people get ahead by working on projects that might have an uncertain return and payback — but do so explicitly with the goal of building up their experience.
They invest wisely.
So should you!
“If you are your own worst enemy, maybe you should start your very own peace process!” – Futurist Jim Carroll
Are you the author of your own misfortune, stumbling about on a regular basis wondering how things could have gone so wrong? Wondering about those habits of yours that are so hard to break that things keep going off the rails? Stuck in a routine that you can’t seem to get out of?
You probably need a mediator, and the only person who can take on that role is — yourself….
Organizations also fall to pieces because of habits that are hard to break. In the face of relentless business model change, they keep on pursuing the same doomed business strategy. When it is obvious that their skill set and infrastructure won’t be adequate for forthcoming changes, they fail to make the necessary investments to move forward. In the face of crushing, fast moving competition with a better idea, their idea machine suddenly turns off.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
When I’m on stage talking about the link between future trends and innovation, I offer crystal clear strategies for moving forward.
And yet I remain stunned by the number of previous clients who have not grabbed the peace process strategy that I have outlined to them. Often it’s the arrogance of the CEO – ‘my world is not going to change’, and in other cases, it’s a lack of a sense of urgency. Sometimes, there are deep, intractable problems that simply can’t be fixed.
But I see failure, and lots of it – companies are simply the authors of their own misfortune when they clearly aware of that fact!
People are the same way. I watch the world around me carefully, and I can see people who struggle with success. They know what needs to be done, but for various reasons, can’t bring themselves about to actually doing it.
Change requires hard work, success requires commitment, and the future requires determination.
Get moving, get a mediator, and find the critical compromise that can bring some peace to your world!
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.
“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?
GET IN TOUCH
Jim's Facebook page
You'll find Jim's latest videos on Youtube
Mastodon. What's on Jim's mind? Check his feed!
LinkedIn - reach out to Jim for a professional connection!
Flickr! Get inspired! A massive archive of all of Jim's daily inspirational quotes!
Instagram - the home for Jim's motivational mind!