\"The words you repeat become the future you build!\" - Futurist Jim Carroll<\/p>
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Part 2 of my short 6-part series revisiting my archives - a journey that started when writing my newest book sent me back through years of morning posts. The ideas that keep coming back are the ones that matter most.\u00a0
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I did something a little unusual this weekend - I ran the numbers on my own vocabulary.<\/p>
Years of these morning quotes, all sitting in an archive. So I counted. What does a futurist actually talk about, when you add it all up?<\/p>
The word \"future\" appears in my quote lines 614 times. \"Tomorrow,\" 356 times. \"Innovation\" shows up 175 times, \"opportunity\" 166, \"leadership\" 88.
No surprises so far - that's the job description of a Futurist!<\/p>
But here's the number that stopped me: \"opportunity\" outruns \"fear\" by three to one. And \"failure\" appears 117 times - more than \"leadership\" - because failure has always been the best teacher on the roster. In that context, take a look at this one:<\/p>
\"Chase your opportunities, instead of running from your fears!\" (2023),<\/p>
Looking at the overall word count, I now think the real story is simpler. Your vocabulary is your strategy. The words you reach for every morning - in your meetings, your plans, your discussions with yourself - are quietly the worlds that define what you are doing to live your future.<\/p>
Opportunities are better than threats, after all.\u00a0People and organizations that talk about threats build defensive futures, but people who talk about opportunities build better ones.<\/p>
It sounds too simple to be true, but the words we use tend to define us.<\/p>
So take a look at your own vocabulary. What are your 614 words? What do you repeat? What words do you use the most - and which ones hold you back?<\/p>
Because you're building your future with words - one word at a time, whether you mean to or not.<\/p>