Futurist Jim Carroll

Daily Inspiration: "Offer ideas. Not threats." - Futurist Jim Carroll

I guess I'm on a bit of a rant this week, but I'm running with it, and I'll offer up one more thought in this thread tomorrow, before getting back to my regular mix of inspiration posts. And stuff on 'being unique.'

I can't help but notice the difference in the way that people are positioning tomorrow. Some offer up the hope of opportunity, while others share the threat of vengeance. The inspiration of ideas, not the threat of fear. The suggestion of potential vs the rhetoric denigration. I've never quite understood this - what is the purpose of threats and fear, other than the pursuit of one's own goals and power?

No doubt the future, and many of the trends that come with it, can certainly hurt many people. It involves a lot of changes to jobs, careers, companies, industries, skills, knowledge, and more. If you don't adapt to what it represents, it might not go well. But you should be inspired to change - not be threatened by someone if you don't!  The fact is, every trend is both a threat and an opportunity. Disruptors recognize the former and minimize the latter!

So why would we carry an attitude of potential failure into our daily work or business activities? Why would we adopt a mindset that aligns us to failure? Why would we look at the day ahead with fear and trepidation rather than excitement and enthusiasm? And yet, that’s all too easy to do when it comes to the future and trends – because it’s the unknown world of potential upheaval that scares us - and what happens when we are fed a story of fear, not hope?

For a long time, I’ve realized that there are many in my audience who do not like the future at all – to them, it represents disruption, change, and challenge. It’s a threat to be feared. And yet, many others view it not in this negative way, but as an opportunity to be grabbed and potential to be shaped.

Mindset matters.

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-leadership-tomorrow-offer-ideas-not-threats/

Daily Inspiration: "Stop whining. Start doing." - Futurist Jim Carroll

Herein ends my rant for the week.

It all started when I heard the phrase, "not going back." For me, that encapsulated what I've witnessed with some of those in the audience with my keynotes over the last decade. It seems that the audience has bifurcated into those who are eager to move forward, and those who want to go back to where they were. It's been a dramatic schism and is often reflected in the reaction to my talk - leading me to realize that the job of a futurist has become far more challenging because many simply do not like the future and what it represents.

It's the reaction to tomorrow that some people have that mystifies me. To the latter - is it possible to be so devoid of ideas that all you can do is complain about the state of the world - and yet offer up no ideas? Is it your belief that a litany of excuses will somehow better position you in the race that is innovating for the future, instead of doing something about it? Is your reality such that all you think you need to do is constantly complain about things, and everything will suddenly go your way?

It's easy to whine when things aren't going your way. Yet even so, this doesn't get you anywhere.

Innovators don't complain. Innovators don't whine. Innovators don't make excuses.

They act.

I'm not trying to preach - I'm working to share my views of what I've seen happening out there. In doing so, I might tweak in your mind the depth of the reality that excuses are the oxygen of the weak. Those who act move forward, not back. Our current news cycle has a huge number of people who are so busy complaining about the state of their world, that they fail to realize that they are devoid of any real ideas as to how to get to tomorrow. They are being spoon-fed a diet of victimhood that does nothing to elevate them into the process of adapting to tomorrow.

Stop whining.

Start doing.

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-moving-forward-stop-whining-start-doing/

Daily Inspiration: "Markets are not trends!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

Some wild headlines yesterday:

All of this is to say that if you spend time studying the future and trends as I do, you'll know that the events of yesterday and perhaps the days to come are somewhat irrelevant. The market action is not related to trends; it's not related to the inevitability of the scientific, technological, and other trends that are unfolding tomorrow.

This bears repeating over and over and over again, and so with that in mind, I'll simply share a post from a few years ago when something similar happened. The advice on what innovators do to keep focused on the trends that define their future is powerful stuff. Read it, and plan accordingly.

Markets are not trends. Always remember that.
 "If you are letting all this recession talk defer your plans for growth, you're doing it all wrong!"

History has taught us that those who win during periods of economic uncertainty are those who double down on strategies for growth, accelerate R&D, focus their sales efforts on top customers, and maintain or boost marketing while others cut back, and refocus on digital customer experience.

Ya, I'm focused on that recession thing again! 

-------
I dug out a fascinating observation by professional services firm Grant Thornton on a survey they undertook to gauge the executive mindset on innovating despite uncertainty. More than 50% planned to double down on innovation in a downturn. A key observation?

“They don't intend to just retrench and try to ride it out. Most are counting on continued investment in technology and innovation to push them through.”

That echoes my findings.

Learn more.
.
Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-the-economy-and-innovation-markets-are-not-trends/

Interesting day!

Daily Inspiration: "No one deserves to be like everyone else!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

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Futurist Jim Carroll is using his Daily Inspiration blog post - one of which you are reading now - to generate material for a book he has in progress with the working title, "How to be Unique (And Why it Will Get You To Your Future Faster!)" This is one of those posts.

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You should not be condemned to live a life that involves the sameness of other people - you deserve to be unique. After all, being unique will help you explore new ideas, practice innovative thinking, live within your imagination, and as a result, chase tomorrow.

But what if you don't think you possess the secret sauce of unique thinking? Is this something you can learn, a mindset you can develop, an attitude you can fertilize? Maybe so - by studying those who were born this way.

What is the mindset that allows people to be unique? It's many things.

Try and practice these principles in all your daily affairs

(read the list in the post)

Some people are born with the unique gift of being unique. That doesn't mean that you can't chase what they have, learn from what they've done, and pursue the ideas that they can generate. After all, it might be a situation in which you have the gift of uniqueness buried deep within your soul, and the culture of conformity that surrounds you has just beat it into hidden submission! 

Understand what it is, why it is important, and how you can nurture it, and you might find that you've been a pretty unique person all along!

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-being-unique-no-one-deserves-to-be-like-everyone-else/

Vibes.

Daily Inspiration: "Behind any pattern of brilliance, you might often find a patina of madness" - Futurist Jim Carroll

One must wonder if we are now watching, in a very public fashion, a once brilliant iconoclast descend into a very real form of madness.

It happened with Vincent van Gogh, who eventually cut off part of his ear and later committed suicide. Howard Hughes was a known recluse and famous businessman who was lost into a severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and other mental health issues. Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys battled with many mental health issues, including schizoaffective disorder, which significantly affected his career and personal life. Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd lost the plot and his mind with an overuse of LSD. Michael Jackson lost the plot due to the demands of his fame and some other dark reasons. Certainly, Elon Musk is now following a similar path that makes one question his grip on reality.

When I first read about the latest situation, I thought it was a joke, from The Onion or some other satirical news source.

And then I read the article and went around the Internet and found a few more, and saw that it was real. At that moment, I concluded that this erratic behavior is quite a bit more than just being erratic.

Suing companies for not advertising on Twitter? It's probably the dumbest move that any CEO might ever make, particularly after he made these widely publicized comments - with expletives - that companies should not advertise on Twitter.

All the plaintiffs need to do in any future court filing in this ill-conceived action is to introduce this clip into evidence and have the case dismissed. And as many other people have commented, given what he has done to the platform, companies are merely choosing not to see their advertisements run next to content from Nazis.

Sadly, he's losing it in many other ways too.

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-leadership-failure-behind-any-pattern-of-brilliance-you-might-often-find-a-patina-of-madness/

Daily Inspiration: "Conformity is a curse on creativity, a creator of complacency!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

Questions, not conformity, are friends of innovation. You should be open enough to oppose views because that will enhance your opportunities, not conformity. Your mind should be open to differences of opinion rather than closed to ideas that don't align with yours (to the extent that you can stomach it in today's highly toxic social and political environment).

I’ve never liked the word ‘conformity.’ 

To me, it reeks of the failure of sameness, an admission of defeat. You are giving up on your ideas and beliefs to achieve the approval of others. Why? What’s the point?

In a world awash with the monochrome hues of uniformity, the curse of conformity is always there, and it casts a long shadow over your potential. 

You should view it for the pervasive force that it is - it’s a silent oppressor that can insidiously infiltrate your mind, urging you to blend into the background, to become an indistinguishable cog in a societal machine in which everyone thinks the same, acts the same, and does the same thing. The curse of conformity whispers the lie into your ear that safety lies in sameness, and that there is virtue in vanishing within the crowd - to be like everyone else. 

Yet, in heeding this call, you can easily forsake your true self. If you do that, you end up abandoning the vibrant spectrum of your individuality for a pretty dull, grayscale existence devoid of the brilliance that your unique colors could cast upon the world.

Conformity is a jail that can imprison your mind.

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-being-unique-conformity-is-a-curse-on-creativity-a-creator-of-complacency/

Time is here.

Daily Inspiration: "When everyone is running one way, run the other way" -  Futurist Jim Carroll

To avoid conformity, you need an action plan.

How do you do that? To thine own self be true, so to speak. With that mindset, do these things. Stop chasing harmony. Avoid groupthink. Kill committees. Stop seeking consensus. Banish buy-in.  Forget concurrence. Give up on the goal of unanimity. These are the words, ideas, and cultures that kill uniqueness.

Instead, celebrate your uniqueness, and use it as fuel for your creativity. The fact is, when everyone is running one way, run the other way! Because when everyone is thinking the same thing, you’ll always end up with the same thing! Nature despises routine, punishes consistency, reorders routines, inhibits uniformity, and abandons mediocrity.  

Don’t be like everyone else. Be yourself!

YOU are the owner of your great ideas. Don't let others beat you down, wear you out, tire your initiative, challenge your belief - because you know, deep down in your heart, that you are on the right path. And even if you aren't, at least the failure will be yours to own - and yours to learn from.

Being unique, though, means that people might laugh at you, and ridicule your ideas. Ignore it - because it usually means that you are right! If you see the ordinary, do the opposite. When there is a status quo, change the quo. When the routine is established, disrupt it.

Do you get the point? 

Look, innovation and aligning to the future aren’t about bandwagons.
It’s more important — and more difficult — than that. It’s about finding something within an obvious trend that plays to your strengths, lets you share your unique value, and removes you from the crowd. Which means running your own way.

Be unique!

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-being-unique-when-everyone-is-running-one-way-run-the-other-way/

Daily Inspiration: "Get out in front" - Futurist Jim Carroll

It's the company you likely have never heard of, but you use their products a lot. And they are having me back in today for their global leadership summit being held in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Assa Abloy is a company that makes technology security products - as they note on their website:

"Every day, we help billions of people move through a safer, more open world with ease. If you’ve ever walked through an automatic door, stayed in a hotel, or gone through passport control, you’ve probably used one of our products or services. " 

In essence, those hotel key card locks that you are always using.

The company had me speak at their global leadership summit in 2019, where I spoke about the disruptive trends defining the future of manufacturing. They brought me back today for a focus on what AI might mean for their world - beyond the hype, the bubble, and the excitement of large-language models.

With that, I'll be covering bigger issues around manufacturing, and article intelligence covers such things as the acceleration of robots and cobots, digital twin technology, the industrial IOT (Internet of things), quality control opportunities utilizing vision & machine learning, predictive maintenance, supply chain optimization, workplace safety management and monitoring, product enhancement, and development. In other words, real stuff.

One of my key messages is that many of these trends are already quite mature, and the opportunities are there for the taking.

When it comes to the future, you are always faced with a choice - follow the trend, or get in front of the trend. Innovation laggards choose the former course; innovation superheroes choose the latter.

You should too. Get out in front!

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-leadership-insight-get-out-in-front/

Daily Inspiration: "The new art of foolproofing now involves proofing yourself against an increasing number of fools!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

Gosh, it's just weird out there, isn't it?

Remember this post a few months ago? "When the future becomes a culture war, watch the trends. Not the noise." I found myself writing this:

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It's a weird time to be a futurist - have you noticed that the future has become a culture war?

While you deal with the realities of science, technologies, trends, and tomorrow, large groups of people seek to inflame and chase their agenda by pursuing falsehoods. It seems that all of a sudden, electric cars have become doomed to fail; protein-based alternative foods have become some sort of evil thing with an anti-meat agenda; wind and solar energy have transitioned into an awful sort of tool designed to harm the carbon industry; and the concept of protecting the environment and our future has now become a culture war test of loyalty to the ancient ideas of yesterday.

While all of this unfolds in the US during a heated election season, China and other advanced economies are solidifying their stranglehold on the technologies and industries of tomorrow. In that context, history has taught us that when a culture war ends, the winner is usually not the one taking the side that is anti-science and anti-future.

-----

I took this idea onto the stage yesterday, trying to very carefully address the issue of the future becoming part of our culture wars - in a very diplomatic fashion.

In essence, we have those who recognize the potential of tomorrow, and those who just want to go back to where we were yesterday.

Futurist Jim Carroll tries as hard as he can to not talk about politics from the stage. He does believe that there are some pretty weird things happening out there.

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-leadership-trends-the-new-art-of-foolproofing-now-involves-proofing-yourself-against-an-increasing-number-of-fools/

This is the US right now.

Daily Inspiration: "If you keep telling your team the same old thing, they'll keep doing the same old thing" - Futurist Jim Carroll

Unique teams can accomplish unique goals using unique visions. In that context, much of real leadership today should be about sharing a real vision of tomorrow that is based on unique ideas, and fosters a unique culture of exploration and innovation.

Think about it - when leading people into tomorrow, you set the tone, define the goal, establish the pace, and provide perspective on the outcomes. And in today's fast-moving world, you won't get there with a team that keeps doing the same old things - you need a team that thinks differently.

One that is unique.

That's the role that Steve Jobs took on, back in 1983, with the team that developed the original Macintosh computer. He set them up with the tone that they were a unique team, doing unique work, and developing a unique, revolutionary product. To emphasize the point he was always making, one of the team members celebrated their uniqueness by flying a pirate flag outside of their small location, which was opposite the main Apple headquarters. It was a defiant message to the rest of the organization - we are the outsiders, the rebels, the misfits. And we are doing something unique.

Rather than having them take the flag down, Steve celebrated the message it conveyed and encouraged it. He set the tone.

Leaders of unique teams must challenge their team to be unique - because the people in the team will never chase their unique ideas, dreams, and opportunities if they are given a message of confinement. They must understand they are doing something special that others are not; that they are chasing goals that others choose not to chase; and that they have dreams which others dare not dream.

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-being-unique-if-you-keep-telling-your-team-the-same-old-thing-theyll-keep-doing-the-same-old-thing/

Hello Nova Scotia!

Daily Inspiration: "Circumstances aren’t to blame for your situation. It's how you react to them and what you do with them that matters!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

Avoid the 'if only's.'

You know. If only this hadn't happened.

If only that hadn't happened

If only things hadn't worked out that way.

The thing about the 'if only's'  is that they can easily become the foundation that binds you to the certainty of less success tomorrow - because they are the oxygen that fuels the fire of your excuses. You can't always blame the circumstances around you for the things that go wrong or that hold you back - because you can always choose to push your way through the circumstances brought about by the 'if only's'. 

So don't use phrases like these.

If only I had more time.

If only I had known earlier.

If only I had more experience.

If only I had more support.

If only I had more money.

If only I had been more confident.

If only I had listened to my instincts.

If only I had taken that opportunity.

If only I hadn't been afraid.

If only I had been more patient.

If only I had spoken up sooner.

If only I had worked harder.

If only I hadn't procrastinated.

If only I had been more focused.

If only I had been more organized.

If only I had made a different choice.

If only I had better connections.

If only I had been luckier.

If only I had started earlier.

If only I had been healthier.

If only I hadn't been distracted.

If only I had known what I know now.

If only I had better resources.

If only I had been more ambitious.

If only you hadn't used so many 'if only's', you wouldn't have fed yourself the mindset that if only you had done something different, everything would have worked out.

You could always stop doing that right now. You can't blame other circumstances for any misfortunate that comes your way - taking responsibility for your future means taking responsibility for getting through the circumstances.

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-personal-growth-circumstances-arent-to-blame-for-your-situation-its-how-you-react-to-them-and-what-you-do-with-them-that-matters/

Let us all just remember was a despicable human Corey Lewandowski is.

https://jimcarroll.com/2018/06/womp-womp-the-politics-of-hate-and-why-i-applaud-my-partner-leading-authorities/

Daily Inspiration: "Too many organizations have too many people who are too busy solving too many problems that no longer exist!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

Have you ever noticed you are surrounded by people who are solving a problem that doesn't need to be solved? Doing work that doesn't need to be done? Following routines that are no longer necessary? A situation where everyone is doing something but no one remembers why?

This often happens to organizations and teams that have lost their sense of purpose, aren't clear on their direction, and have fuzzy goals and objectives. The machine of ingenuity and the engine of innovation that was created for some long past challenge still exists, undertaking the same old functions as before, but lacking a reason for doing so.

Remember my phrase - "Companies that do not yet exist will build products not yet conceived using material not yet invented using methodologies not yet in existence with ideas yet to be imagined."

The corollary is that "Companies will undertake work that is entirely unnecessary and redundant, based on policies and procedures that are highly irrelevant, using workforce skills that are out of date or obsolete, to solve problems and issues that no longer exist."

You know it's true!

So stop doing it!

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-innovation-bureaucracy-too-many-organizations-have-too-many-people-who-are-too-busy-solving-too-many-problems-that-no-longer-exist/

Daily Inspiration: "Always remember that the most unlikely circumstances can always lead to the most unlikely results!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

Back in 1983, I seemed to be one of the few people in my company, east of Toronto, who knew how to use Visicalc.

And with that, a career was born.

The image for today's quote comes from this weekend. We were in my original home province of Nova Scotia, Canada, for an extended family reunion - over 90 of us from my mom's ancestry got together to share stories, reminisce, and catch up.  After the event, my family and I spent some time touring around Halifax and the region and briefly found ourselves in the wonderful town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia - originally a fishing village established in 1753, and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Off in the distance in the image, by the arrow, is one of the fish processing plants for Highlighter Sea Foods, one of many in this particular region of the world. This was, back in the early 80s, one of my clients, then known as National Sea Products.

Way back in late 1982, as I was very early into my career, I found myself immersed in the then fast-moving world of personal computer technology, diving into online systems that were the then precursor to the Internet; database programs such as dBase II, and spreadsheet software such as VisiCalc and later, Lotus-1-2-3.

At the same time, there was a very complex situation unfolding in eastern Canada, as several major fish processing companies were brought together in a bit of a forced merger due to market conditions. T

Since I was the only guy within thousands of miles who knew his way around a spreadsheet, I was brought onto the team to crunch the numbers for multiple different merger/takeover scenarios.

With that, my career transition from a CA/CPA to a technology-focused consultant and eventually, a speaker and a futurist, was well underway.

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-personal-growth-always-remember-that-the-most-unlikely-circumstances-can-always-lead-to-the-most-unlikely-results/

@chrismak I was also into Lotus Agenda, that should take you back!

Daily Inspiration: "It’s never too late to realize it’s not too late!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

Trying new things is the root of all innovation. Taking initiative is the key to innovation success. Admitting that things need to change is the first step in the path to innovation success. And yet, too many people don't do these things, because they make the excuse that 'it's too late.' 

Personal growth is all about breaking boundaries, accepting reality, and taking action. Yet, many people don't do that - they are scared to confront change. Too many people stop growing and start stagnating because they always say that 'it's too late.' 

How many times do you say to yourself "I would have done that, but it's too late!"

It's never too late! The only thing holding you back is your mindset.

So always remember .... it's never too late to learn new things.

It's never too late to take the initiative.

It's never too late to chase that thing you always wanted to do.

It's never too late to do the right thing.

It's never too late to apologize.

It's never too late to rethink your plans.

It's never too late to learn to golf.

It's never too late to chase a new career.

It's never too late to quit the job you hate.

It's never too late to learn a new skill.

it's never too late to implement that new idea you've been thinking about.

It's never too late to confront that difficult situation you've been too busy ignoring.

It's never too late to try to do something you've never done before.

It's never too late to improve yourself.

It's never too late to stop doing the thing that deep down you know is destroying you.

It's never too late to appreciate other people more.

It's never too late to start saying 'thank you' more often.

It's never too late to admit you have a problem.

It's never too late to start right now.

See how easy it is to get going?

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-chasing-initiative-its-never-too-late-to-realize-its-not-too-late/

Daily Inspiration: "The future is all around you. It's just that much of it hasn't been put together yet!"- Futurist Jim

We are on the edge of massive multi-billion business opportunities in many industries, only awaiting someone to put the parts together that will fully exploit the major trends already in existence (or evolving rapidly.)

That's a story I often carry onto stage with me, as I outline how many aspects of the future already exist, and are only awaiting the 'oackacking' of those trends into one neat, tidy disruptive initiative.

Take the world of construction and energy. It's a given that over the long term, most homes will be powered by solar power or wind power, with natural gas or other carbon energy sources merely acting as an 'insurance policy;' for times of variability. Battery storage technology will be at the heart of the technology setup that makes this crazy economical - storage costs have declined 97% in the last three decades, and continue to plummet. The home will contain some large massive energy storage battery - and your future car will also be a part of your home energy system. Pulling it all together will be the next evolution of your home thermostat such as your Nest or ecoBee - running some sophisticated software algorithm that will keep it all running, in sync, maximizing energy production.

The key thing with this trend is that solar power won't just come from the solar on the roof - it will come from the very windows that are part of the home, as glass evolves to become a form of solar power generation. These windows will automatically darken with excessive external sunlight, to help cool the home. They look like regular glass windows, but act like solar panels, generating electricity from the sun.

The opportunity is huge!

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-energy-construction-the-future-is-all-around-you-its-just-waiting-for-someone-to-put-it-together/

So Ann Coulter has attacked Gus.

Let's revisit the time Corey Lewandowski attacked a kid with Down syndrome, and one of my speakers bureaus immediately dropped him.

These people are vile, hateful, unworthy of any respect.

Here'a bit of my story:

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"In my spare time, my wife and business partner Christa volunteer our time to a local charity near our ski chalet north of Toronto. ....Events for Life provides daytime activities for young disabled adults; we have young people with autism and other disabilities, as well as those with Down Syndrome. Our goal is to give them a pathway and activities that help them to live an enriching life. We are overjoyed with the results.

....

That’s why I was appalled at the appearance of Cory Lewindowski on Fox News the other night, apparently mocking a situation where a child with Down Syndrome was separated from her parents, in this crazy war on immigrants.

“Womp womp,” he said with derision."

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There should be no holding back on the attacks against Anne Coulter and others who attack Gus.

Pure fucking evil soulless gobs.

https://jimcarroll.com/2018/06/womp-womp-the-politics-of-hate-and-why-i-applaud-my-partner-leading-authorities/

Daily Inspiration: "The return of basic human decency is what will make things great again" - Futurist Jim Carroll

I know I shouldn't dive into this topic, but I'm fired up.

You've probably seen the video clip of Gus Walz tearing up as he watched his dad, VP candidate Tim Walz, speak at the DNC the other night. You have probably also seen some of the vile pushback by some, making fun of this young adult who is known to have several unique special needs characteristics.

With that in mind, I will share a post I originally published on June 21, 2018. That's when one of my speaker bureau partners dropped one Corey Lewandowski, then the political consultant for one candidate (and who has currently returned to the post.) Since it echoes my thoughts today, I'll simply share it verbatim.

Read the last 3 lines.

For all this talk of making things great again - it's not to be found in the economy. It's to be found in the return of basic human decency.

Enough said. Fired up.

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 "Womp Womp", The Politics of Hate, and Why I Applaud my Partner Leading Authorities!
Jim Carroll, 6/21/18

(read more)

Each morning, as I read the daily news of hate and derision, I find it almost impossible to be silent. But I am realizing more and more that I need not be.

I would rather stick up for my friend Thomas, and all the Thomas's of the world, instead of seeing this vile politics of hate continue in this industry.

Please share.

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-on-politics-basic-human-decency-will-make-things-great-again/

"Blame Canada"

Daily Inspiration: "The only thing limiting your opportunity is the limitation of your inspiration!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

I've been writing these posts each workday since August 2016.

That's a lot of 'Daily Inspirations.'

For today's post, I fed 7 years' worth of these posts into ChatGPT and asked it to list for me '101 Ideas for Accelerating Your Innovation & Creativity' that it could find in the document. This is what it gave me! I think this could be a book right here, with the facing page consisting of an image generated by AI based on the quote.

You should never be too short of opportunities for initiative, because you should never be too short of inspiration!

Get inspired!

101 Ideas for Accelerating Your Innovation & Creativity

1. Challenge the status quo - always ask "Why?" and "What if?" to challenge existing norms.

2. Embrace change - welcome change as an opportunity for innovation, not a threat.

3. Think differently - cultivate a mindset that questions conventional wisdom.

4. Act on instincts - trust your gut feelings when exploring new ideas.

5. Experiment freely - foster a culture where experimentation is encouraged and failures are seen as learning opportunities.

....and more. Read the list!

https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-the-only-thing-limiting-your-opportunity-is-the-limitation-in-your-inspiration/

Daily Inspiration: "You should be building your tomorrow. Today." - Futurist Jim Carroll

The future of construction seems to be a bit of a theme this fall.

One of the events I've got coming up is a talk in Arizona for an event put on by Chain Store Age magazine, where I'll speak to the trends involving the future of the industry specifically in the retail space.

The client was originally looking at me for a keynote focused on the evolving role of AI in construction, but the issues I began to cover in our planning call went far beyond AI, and so they were excited to broaden the topic.

Here's the keynote description.

The Future of Retail Construction in The Era of Acceleration
with Futurist Jim Carroll

The rapid emergence of new design, construction, and management methodologies involving virtualized digital twins. The arrival of fascinating new construction materials. The acceleration of machine-based artificial intelligence and its impact on construction robotics and smart tools.  Next-generation project inspection, safety, monitoring, and management tools utilizing drones and other advanced hardware. The impact of the next-generation building architect from the gaming generation - one who brings their experience playing Roblox to the construction world! And the continued innovations around the idea of 'connected energy,' with whole system deployment and integration of renewable energy sources, microgrid advancements, battery science, and smart technology. The future is fast - and you must get a powerful but useful interpretation of what is going on. Join us as Futurist Jim Carroll - whose clients include NASA, Disney, and the World Bank - takes us on a voyage into tomorrow.

People want to know how they can build tomorrow, today. It's a phrase that captures the essence of what's happening in the world of construction.

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-construction-trends-you-should-be-building-your-tomorrow-today/

Watching history unfold.

Daily Inspiration: ''Old ways of doing new things? Often it’s only the young who can shake it off" - Futurist Jim Carroll

(I saw what you did, said Swifties!)

Everyone hated Zoom - until they didn't anymore. We spent so much time in Zoom rooms during the pandemic that we came to dread Zoom calls - and we couldn't get away from it fast enough. And then suddenly, it's hot again.

In 1960, TV was new  - and JFK took advantage of the new medium to accelerate his bid for the Presidency. In the 80s, it was a highly targeted direct mail campaign methodology In the 90s, it involved preliminary steps on the emerging Internet. In the 2000s, blogs and e-mail. By the 2010s it was the fast-emerging new world of social media.

And in 2024, it's Zoom and TikTok.

Last night, to get a sense of how our world is changing, I signed onto the Swifties for Kamala Zoom call, because I am fascinated by what is happening with the 2024 US Presidential election in terms of the new influencers. Weeks ago, I realized that this election would be different in terms of how the next generation - those who were weaned on connectivity, technology, and online collaboration - would organize themselves differently. This Zoom call was the perfect example.

Something is going on with how people are organizing and mobilizing concerning this election cycle.

As someone who studies trends, I needed to study this.

This is but of many new communities springing up in what is turning out to be a pretty seismic election year. For example, the 'cat ladies' did a thing. Comics. And cooks.

If everyone hated Zoom so much, why is it now a thing again? Because as much as people hated it, they've recognized the power of instant community. 

I haven't even mentioned what's happening over on TikTok, which is wild. It's the TikTok election, and the younger generation is clearly in charge. Because when it comes to old ways of doing things, they're pretty ready to shake it off.

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-online-organizing-old-ways-of-doing-new-things-often-its-only-the-young-who-can-shake-it-off/

Daily Inspiration: "Be the spark that ignites the flame of change!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

Most people have a problem.

In fact, most people know that they aren't quite ready for all the change that they are faced with in their future, yet know that everything they are involved with - their business model, skills, product or services, knowledge - will be significantly different. With that being the case, they also know that they aren't very good at innovative ways of dealing with this dilemma because they know they've got a bunch of innovation excuses in the way!

That's the conclusion I've come to with some 15 years' worth of very specific insight offered up by the audience members in my keynote presentations.

This means that most people are crying out for someone to give them a pathway them out of this 'change wilderness' - they are looking for someone to lead the way. They are looking for someone who can ignite the flames of innovation to move forward through this change dilemma - they need a spark to get them going.

That spark could be you.

What's the backstory here? For 15 years now, most of my keynotes have included several live polling questions - people respond using their smartphones. It's a pretty cool system, with the results coming in live on the screen as I talk the audience through the questions and technology, providing the high degree of interactivity demanded by today's audience. It also allows me to gauge the mood and attitude of the audience in real-time.

In addition to some highly customized questions, there are usually four key questions built into every keynote - and I keep getting the same consistent answer from every single audience, regardless of industry.

And what it tells me is that eveyone knows they have a problem

**#innovation** **#leadership** **#keynotespeaker** **#futurist** **#innovationspeaker**

https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-innovation-leadership-be-the-spark-that-ignites-the-flame-of-change/

Daily Inspiration: "Recognize that every major trend first involves huge short-term risk but is often eventually followed by a massive upside!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

One of the most important things to realize about any future trend is that it can be pretty difficult to achieve any opportunity from it until it matures.

Take e-commerce for example. Read what I wrote from 1999 to 2001.

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/08/daily-inspiration-trends-timing-recognize-that-every-major-trend-first-involves-huge-short-term-risk-but-is-often-eventually-followed-by-a-massive-upside/