Notices by Futurist Jim Carroll (jimcarroll@mastodon.futurist.info)

"𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐛𝐲. 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

I meet a lot of marginal people.

They live marginal lives.

Chasing marginal goals.

With marginal ideas.

And keep achieving, well, marginal things!

What causes this? Part of it is that they just adopt a mindset of mediocrity - that's why I wrote the books!

I remember the situation at one agricultural talk - it was for a long-standing company in the industry. They were faced with unrelenting pressures on every front — input costs climbing faster than their yields, commodity prices swinging wildly from one season to the next, and financial challenges piling up. Drought or deluge could wipe out an entire year’s work in a matter of weeks. Global markets were their future and yet not in their control - their fortunes rose or fell on decisions made in trading pits half a continent away. (Fast forward a few years to today, and the global situation is different altogether!)

My talk focused on the key trends in the sector - key growth opportunities. Things like accelerating automation, faster science, the next generation, and other trends.

But when you are in front of a crowd, you can read the room, and I could certainly read the room on this day. To me, it was a crowd rejecting much of what I was talking about as a path forward because they’d learned to settle for “good enough.”

Why? Because that felt safer than trying something new and failing.

And that’s where the mindset of mediocrity takes hold. When you’ve been burned by weather extremes, when the bank’s watching your loans, when every harvest feels like a cliff edge, it’s tempting to stick with what you know. But what you know isn’t enough. I reminded them that breakthroughs don’t happen by tweaking yesterday’s ideas - they come when you refuse to accept marginal returns on marginal ideas. Because the alternative is a slow grind toward extinction.

Here's the thing about 'getting by.' It's a failure! Know these things:

- the status quo is no longer 'good enough. The landscape is littered with companies and careers that thought "average" was a strategy.

- complacency is the new corporate suicide. If you're not actively pushing the envelope, you're already sealed in it,

- growth isn't a project, it's oxygen! "Get better!" should be your mantra.
action eats inaction for breakfast! Tomorrow demands forward motion, deliberate daily steps, and turning bold vision into tangible reality.

"Don't just get by, Get better!" isn't just a catchy phrase. It's a survival guide for the age of acceleration.

Are you coasting on fumes, or actively managing a way forward?

---

Jim Carroll’s new books, Embracing Mediocrity and Escaping Mediocrity, provide insight into the path of our marginality.

**#Growth** **#Excellence** **#Improvement** **#Progress** **#Action** **#Innovation** **#Mindset** **#Forward** **#Achievement** **#Success**

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/05/decoding-tomorrow-your-daily-future-inspiration-dont-just-get-by-get-better/

"There is no shortage of big opportunities. There is a shortage of bold leadership!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

One of my fellow futurists recently included this line in a post I read - "We should be pulling more photons from the sun." He wrote it as an observation when he was flying into an American city, and saw an absolute dearth of solar panels on the roofs of homes and buildings. Solar energy - the infrastructure at least - has become desperately cheap and tremendously productive, and we are missing such a big opportunity.

This idea of things we are not doing but should be grabbed my attention, of course, so I set off to take a look at the material I've written in my blog since 2002 that might fit the theme. Much of my material covers not just my Daily Inspiration posts, one of which you are reading now, but reports on keynotes, trend overviews, research summaries, and more.

And so with that, I give you this list of 𝐀 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟏𝟎𝟏 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐖𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐰 (𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐧'𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩. I used Google Notebook LLM to analyze my material, given that there are almost 5,000 posts. There is a PDF version, of course, that I also used with my new handy-dandy AI-slide generation tool that an AI helped me write - written in Python, it's become an invaluable tool. It's a BIG FILE - grab it here.

This list should inspire more bold thinking, but also some sad reflection, since it is indicative of the sad state of leadership in our world today.

**#Leadership** **#Innovation** **#Technology** **#Opportunities** **#Future** **#Sustainability** **#AI** **#Robotics** **#Healthcare** **#Agriculture**

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/05/decoding-tomorrow-your-daily-future-inspiration-dont-let-initiative-begin-long-after-its-best-before-date/

"Don't let initiative begin long after its best before date!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

Most people start things too late. Trends mature before they do. Tomorrow happens before they get there.

Opportunities go to those who show up. That's why you should ask yourself and your organization some probing questions. use these as a guide to figure out if you are too late for everything!

Is my brilliant initiative already becoming a relic of a bygone era, swallowed by the relentless, unforgiving march of time? This is the harsh reality of The Accelerating Pace of Change.

Am I merely drifting in stagnant waters while the world sprints ahead, my initiative gasping to keep up with the lightning speed of progress? You're being outpaced by The Velocity of Trends.

Am I actively strangling my opportunity, paralyzed by a fatal hesitation that condemns my initiative to the shadows of what might have been? This is the crippling effect of Aggressive Indecision.

Am I callously signing the death warrant for my initiative through my devastating inaction, watching its potential wither and die before my eyes? Such is the consequence of Inaction as a "Death Sentence".

Is my initiative a dormant powerhouse, DOA on arrival, its explosive momentum bleeding away with every precious moment I fail to take decisive, concrete action? Remember, true power comes from Momentum from Doing.

Am I an absent, negligent architect of my future, failing to truly show up and build something magnificent, thereby condemning this initiative to the desolate void of inaction and forgotten dreams? This is about understanding The Power of "Showing Up".

Show up.

Get going.

Start now.

It matters.

#Action #Initiative #Urgency #Execution #Momentum #Opportunity #Commitment #Progress #Leadership #Now

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/05/decoding-tomorrow-your-daily-future-inspiration-dont-let-initiative-begin-long-after-its-best-before-date/

“Your fuel for your future should be irrational optimism" - Futurist Jim Carroll

Fuel your day with irrational optimism. In fact, you should nurture an insane optimism, similar to how farmers must be insanely optimistic in the face of industry volatility.
Here's why you need to embrace insane optimism:

Maintaining your optimism requires you to filter out the noise of raging headlines and other negative things

You should not let volatility reshape your attitude or let noise cloud the opportunities around you

My optimism is grounded by the trends I observe in our rapidly changing world, and spotting opportunities in those trends

You must consciously choose optimism over pessimism despite the environment you find yourself in - because the alternative isn't that great!

Optimism is your fuel for your future - without it, you're running on empty

Find something to do that fuels your optimism. Writing my daily inspirational posts helps me dispel bad things and find the good in the world

Anyone focused on the future cannot do so with a foundation of negativity - recognize that reality and ground yourself within it

Regularly nurturing your optimism is like fertilizer for your soul

You must battle daily to keep your optimism intact against the forces trying to tear it down

Despite challenges, it's a great time to be alive, with accelerating science, healthcare, connectivity, and knowledge growth

Avoid surrounding yourself with negativity and those who consistently focus on the downside

Innovative organizations succeed with positive energy for new ideas and a culture of relentless optimism

Great ideas never flourish when pessimists are in control of the conversation

An uplifting, hopeful view serves as the best antidote to negative thinking and losing sight of opportunities

Surround yourself with like-minded optimists who focus on what can be accomplished rather than what should be avoided

Optimism is one of the most precious resources that you must nurture, feed, let loose, and guard carefully

Hope and optimism are among the few commodities in the world right now that are more precious than others

Hope is the foundation of how you align yourself with your future and turn it into an opportunity

In times of volatility, you must battle continuously to keep your hope intact

Optimism is your opportunity - it opens doors that pessimism keeps locked

Those who exude a positive outlook are typically on the path to success, as people are drawn to great energy and motivational thinking

The choice is yours: fuel your day with irrational optimism, or let the noise drag you down. Be optimistic about your optimism!

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Futurist Jim Carroll always tries to skew to the optimistic side of the day!

**#Optimism** **#Hope** **#Future** **#Positivity** **#Energy** **#Opportunities** **#Innovation** **#Success** **#Mindset** **#Growth**

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/05/decoding-tomorrow-your-daily-future-inspiration-your-fuel-for-your-future-should-be-irrational-optimism/

"In healthcare's future, impossible is merely an undiscovered solution" - Futurist Jim Carroll

I'm pulling together a slide deck for an upcoming healthcare keynote.

While the sector remains very much under attack in the US, there is no doubt that elsewhere in the world we will see fascinating developments in the next many years. Indeed, we stand at a precipice of transformation so profound that it redefines what's possible for human health and longevity. A lot of this has to do with the accelerating pace of discovery of new healthcare and medical science, the role of technology, and the impact of AI.

One section of my deck takes a look at the big, bold ideas or concepts that are being pursued, shared below. While most of the people mentioned are legitimate experts in their fields, the quotes could be considered to be a bit of a stretch in terms of possibility. Does this make them invalid? Maybe not - I'll note during my talks that sometimes, overly optimistic predictions serve a purpose because they wake us up to the opportunity instead of blinding us with barriers.

So what's in my deck? I share this one from a fellow Futurist Ray Kurzweil: "What we used to think of as fantasy is now simply engineering". This isn't just hyperbole; it's the unfolding reality in labs and research institutions worldwide.

Dr. Eric Topol heralds that "we are at the beginning of a golden age of medicine, where what was once purely in the realm of science fiction is becoming science fact". Indeed, the advancements barreling down the pike are set to revolutionize not just how we treat illness, but how we conceive of health itself.

Keep reading!

#Healthcare #Innovation #Technology #Medicine #Future #AI #Biotechnology #Wellness #Prevention #Transformation

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/05/decoding-tomorrow-healthcare-trends-in-healthcares-future-impossible-is-merely-an-undiscovered-solution/

Meanwhile, in Ontario.

“𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑜𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑑, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑖𝑡?" - Futurist Jim Carroll

I𝐭'𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐯𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬, and I'm loving the feedback and comments from those who have picked up copies. (Are you in? You can grab copies at the Mediocrity website !)

But while working on them, I'm always thinking. At first, I put together 𝐸𝑚𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑜𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 to identify the attitudes and actions that cause so many people to live a mediocre life. Once that was becoming a reality, I realized I needed a way to offer people a path out of such an existence, which led of course, to the creation and release of 𝐸𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑜𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐭, 𝐈'𝐦 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝. Let's say you manage to escape the mediocrity you once embraced, but what if it came creeping back? What if the old bad behaviors, mindsets, and beliefs that drove you before come back into your mind, even though you've worked so hard to escape them?

I realized what you need to do is eradicate them.

So I started thinking about how you eradicate mediocrity, and I came to realize that what it would involve is coming to accept some ground truths about your situation and your reality.

So I started compiling a list. Let's call it a list of 101 Principles of Leadership and Innovation. They seem to neatly fall into several buckets or categories, so I've included that in the list. Or maybe it's a list about, um, I dunno, eradicating mediocrity? Maybe you should read the post to the bottom!

There is, of course, a PDF, which I pulled together with my nifty new little AI deck generation tool!

Oh, and there's a Website that I generated with AI - it's at sparkchange.jimcarroll.com - entirely generated by AI.

Read the post for the list - and a fun surprise!

**#Leadership** **#Innovation** **#Speed** **#Agility** **#Mindset** **#Execution** **#Change** **#Future** **#Action** **#Excellence**

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/05/decoding-tomorrow-your-daily-future-inspiration-you-can-escape-the-mediocrity-you-once-embraced-but-will-you-ever-fully-eradicate-it//

"𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛’𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛’𝑡 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔" - Futurist Jim Carroll

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Trying to keep up has become a full-time job.

If you didn't hear, OpenAI became enmeshed with Jonny Ives's company - he's the guy who designed the iPhone, iPad, and AirPods, a true design genius. The talk is that they will develop a variety of AI devices that don't involve screens or keyboards. Open up your imagination - wide. Then there are the announcements a few days ago by Google - involving real-time translation and heads-up display-based glasses with Warby Parker, among other things, It seems that almost every day, there is some amazing new leap in capability and function.

That's why every day, I'm spending time learning to do new things with all the tools at my disposal. Here's my latest little endeavour - using AI to generate a cool poster background image, having it write a Python program to generate a series of slide images from it, and then having AI write another program to combine it into a PDF that I can share on LinkedIn and elsewhere.

Why would I do that? Workflow - simply put, the ability to do in 1/10th of the time things that I might otherwise be doing for a post or a project. Not only that, but it's the idea of constantly exploring new possibilities and opportunities that I can share with clients.

So what's involved with this little project? I've now set myself up with a simple little script I can run to generate slides at will. I use AI to generate a cool background image with a blank space. In another image, I simply define the area where I want the text to appear. Then I feed it some text in a pre-defined, structured style:

I then run the program and get a nifty little slide deck. I've got another one on the "
Innovation Killers with a different background. I've also been working on my post for tomorrow, which features a different type of setup.

This might not seem like much, but the point of all this is simply by learning one new thing, I've developed a fascinating new skill. Add that to daily lessons on many other things, and I see myself in the business of developing new skills and insights every day.

And that's the point - as I keep emphasizing in my keynotes, you might not lose your job to an AI, but you could very well lose your job to someone who is using AI more effectively than you do.

Regardless of the merits of whether it's good or bad, it's here to stay, and it's up to you to master what you can do with it. If

---

Futurist Jim Carroll is a big fan of the idea of productive time-wasting to learn new skills.

**#Learning** **#AI** **#Innovation** **#Workflow** **#Skills** **#Automation** **#Technology** **#Adaptation** **#Creativity** **#Future**

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/05/decoding-tomorrow-your-daily-future-inspiration-if-you-arent-learning-you-arent-living/

“Yesterday’s logic won’t spark tomorrow’s ideas!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

Let's talk about why many innovation efforts fail.
It's often because people keep on doing the same old thing, following the same old ideas, chasing the same old goal that is now irrelevant, fighting among themselves in the same old way over the same old arguments, following the same old pattern of inaction.

Sounds about right.

I was reading a publication the other day while doing some research on another topic and came across this article, which got me thinking about this issue, which led to today's quote.

I quickly learned that the reason for this state of affairs in many organizations is due to what psychologists call "cognitive rigidity.' Let's dig in.

What is it?

Like a stubborn door that refuses to open, our minds can sometimes become locked in patterns that restrict our ability to see new possibilities and adapt to life’s ever-changing circumstances. This mental inflexibility, known as cognitive rigidity, can significantly impact our thinking and behavior, often without us even realizing it.
Cognitive Rigidity: Understanding Its Impact on Thinking and Behavior
NeuroLaunch,, January 14, 2025

So why should we care?

But why should we care about cognitive rigidity? Well, in today’s fast-paced, ever-evolving world, the ability to adapt and think flexibly is more crucial than ever. Whether it’s navigating personal relationships, tackling workplace challenges, or simply trying to keep up with the latest technological advancements, a rigid mindset can leave us feeling left behind and ill-equipped to handle life’s curveballs.
Cognitive Rigidity: Understanding Its Impact on Thinking and Behavior
NeuroLaunch,, January 14, 2025

What's the innovation angle?

Let’s start by demystifying this psychological concept. In formal terms, cognitive rigidity refers to a tendency to persist in a particular thought pattern or behavior, even when it’s no longer adaptive or beneficial. It’s like being stuck in a mental rut, unable to shift gears or consider alternative perspectives.
Cognitive Rigidity: Understanding Its Impact on Thinking and Behavior
NeuroLaunch,, January 14, 2025

The article goes on to identify common traits with the mindset.

Difficulty in shifting attention or focus
Resistance to change or new ideas
Inflexible problem-solving approaches
Black-and-white thinking patterns
Struggle with ambiguity or uncertainty

Sounds like my "innovation killers" list which I so often share!
I

#Innovation #Flexibility #Mindset #Change #Adaptation #Creativity #Cognitive #Disruption #Thinking #Growth

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/05/decoding-tomorrow-your-daily-future-inspiration-yesterdays-logic-wont-spark-tomorrows-ideas/

"𝐹𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒-𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑑-𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑒. 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑦." - Futurist Jim Carroll

One theme I worked into in the upcoming 𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒂𝒊𝒏 book is the idea that despite economic uncertainty, volatility, a potential downturn, and political craziness is that the future continues unabated.

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The Megatrend Matrix: 7 Forces Shaping Our Future

After tracking trends and advising organizations for decades, I've distilled what matters most. These aren't distant possibilities. They're powerful currents already reshaping our business landscape, even amid economic uncertainty.

1. The Intelligence Revolution

AI-Driven Transformation
Ambient Intelligence
Human-Technology Integration
Digital Twinning
Knowledge Evolution Acceleration

2. The Energy Transformation

Electrification Revolution
Energy Decentralization
Resource Optimization
Climate-Positive Technologies

3. Health Reimagined

Predictive & Preventive Healthcare
Longevity Science
Brain and Cognitive Health Brain

4. Manufacturing Revolution

Mass Customization Systems
24-Hour Farming / Agricultural Reinvention
Material Science Breakthroughs
Micro-Autonomous Systems

5. Business Model Acceleration

Compressed Innovation Cycles
Hyper-Personalization at Scale
Temporal Commerce
Physical-Digital Integration

6. Workforce Transformation

Career Obsolescence and Creation
Cross-Disciplinary Specialists
Generational Value Shifts
Anticipatory Systems Design

7. Global Restructuring

Geopolitical Realignment
Urban Reimagination
Intergenerational Expansion
Technology Sovereignty
Digital Identity Evolution

Organizations that align themselves with these mega-trends, even during volatility, are positioning themselves to capture disproportionate value when growth returns.

The future doesn't wait for economic cycles to resolve, and neither should you.

---

#Success #Celebration #TallPoppy #Mindset #Achievement #Support #Growth #Culture #Resentment #Inspiration

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/05/decoding-tomorrow-your-daily-future-inspiration-future-ready-means-being-trend-aware-every-single-day/

@daj Everything seems to be working fine, followed the process and a few fixes along the way.

@ai6yr @jimcarroll I see it yay!

@ai6yr @jimcarroll Must admit I’ve never understood sidekick but will dig in

Fwiw sidekick was a pc memory expander thing in the 90s

@ai6yr I was deeply immersed in having Claude writing Rails code for me to check to see if all my following list was working right, some of it was not. Ugly stuff.

@spencer @ramsey I can see yours too, so we both seem to have succeeded!

@atrus I seem to be a sucker for complex server transitions. I guess this is how i learn things.

@daveburb My wife would accuse me of being a bot when housework is assigned but other than that, I'm real. Good to know previous posts appear.

Also curious if anyone can see ANY of my old posts, i.e. anything from prior to today

#mastoadmin #selfhost #selfhosting

@ai6yr Can you post something on your feed. Don't tag me. I'm not sure my following list is working correctly, even thought i ran some Ruby routines to check it and verify it

@porkroll Thanks. That's helpful. Feel like I might have disappeared through all this.