"Gratitude. Respect. Serenity. Authenticity. Connection. Trust. Patience. Adaptability. Positivity. Hope!" - Futurist Jim Carroll
Each year, since 2006, I have started the year with my 10 Great Words list.
The original list became a part of my closing stage routine and is still shared widely by folks when they discover it. It's over at 10greatwords.jimcarroll.com.
It's a set of ideas that define my thinking, attitudes, approach to life, and what I intend to carry as the core mindset as I approach each new year.
My list this year has been defined and influenced by two major events in my life - the arrival of my first grandchild, Mason James, which has truly been transformative, and a spinal injury that has, for lack of a better word, forever changed my relationship with gravity!
My grandchild! I can't begin to describe how this singular event can cause you to think of your world in a new and different way! My wife and I are overwhelmed with the sheer joy, exuberance, and emotional roller coaster that is the experience. It is truly life-changing - in ways that I don't even yet know I can describe. 2026 should be wonderful! All I need at this moment in my life is his sweet smile, and my heart is full.
The second was the awful fall on ice in late November as I walked down some hard granite steps at our ski chalet. I've been sidelined from the ski season for the year, an activity that has defined my winter for the last 25 years. It's a spinal injury, and I rest daily in knowing that I am lucky; it could have been so much worse. A life event like this certainly gets you thinking! Did you know it's 78 days till spring, 95 days till my tee time at the Old Course in St. Andrews, and 103 days till my pool opens?
Not that I'm waiting for winter to end or anything!
Life events like these define your character, shape your thinking, and certainly outline your approach to your day. They've also shaped the choice of the words I'm going to carry with me into 2026.
- Gratitude. It's probably the word most on my mind. I'm so thankful for my new grandson and his parents; my other son and his wife and their new home; my wife as I watch her smile with her grandson; my health and my career. Most of all, I'm grateful that my injury, while very serious, is fully recoverable with time. Gratitude is probably the most important word to carry with me into the new year.
- Respect. Gratitude demands peace of mind. It also requires a new way of thinking: in a world in which there is less of it, I plan to try to practice more of it. The New York Times just published an article about the complete disappearance of decorum and respect through 2025; I think it's implicit for all of us to try to do the opposite. We need to do better.
- Serenity. I think the only way to come to this respect is to come to some sort of peace with the state of world affairs. There's not a lot we can do when the arc of history is shifting in such dramatic ways. This does not mean giving in on our opposition to the hate, the divisiveness, the turmoil. But it does mean calming down to the extent we can, to keep our emotions balanced. It means coming to accept that we should spend more time on the things we can change, rather than those we can't.
- Adaptability. I spent a lot of time in 2025 learning how to deal with volatility, uncertainty, and relentless change. One of the key things I can do going into the New Year is to continue to learn how to be more adaptable and resilient. That certainly has been the case with the last month - an inability to go outside because a fall would be treacherous, and learning to become an early morning mall-walker instead! Adapt! Change! Go with the new flow!
- Connection. It seems that 2026 is going to be a year of "all AI all the time" as the Machine continues to consume everything around us. In that context, human connection and interaction will be more important than ever before. As humanity disappears into the machine, it's implicit that we keep the humanity that defines us.
- Authenticity. How do we keep that connection? By practicing authenticity each and every day. In a world in which synthetic machines generate so much information, it's important that we keep chasing reality and, to the extent we can, immerse ourselves in it. It will keep us grounded and our ideas realistic.
- Trust. Here's a phrase that I shared this year: "Trust in your next step more than you fear the fall." Little did I know that months after I wrote that, my relationship with gravity would change! Beyond this personal perspective, the issue of trust is a critically important idea in tnis fast moving world. Many people remain frozen because they feel they lack the right skills or mindset to adapt. The winning attitude is to ignore the fear of the "fall" and trust your ability to figure it out once you take the step! One step at a time!
- Patience: My recovery timeline - the point where the small bones that have fractured will fully heal - is 4 to 8 weeks from now. That means taking it slow - a slow return to the gym, a slow return to regular outdoor activities, and a slow return to 'normal.' As they say, patience is a virtue! In this case, it's all I've got! Patience is probably also something necessary in our fast world - while I preach the message of speed, I'm also coming to learn that it demands that we not always rush about, blindly doing what we think needs to be done in a world of non-stop velocity.
- Positivity: My running joke - as a Futurist, I can't go on stage and say, 'Guess what, your future sucks!' I wouldn't get a lot of repeat business! But throughout 2025, as volatility raged and uncertainty dominated, I've learned that I've got to keep my spirits up, my mindset full of optimism, and my attitude filled with thinking about the good things, not the bad. The more positivity, the better!
- Hope. Last but not least, I have to hope that somehow our current negative world will somehow turn out for the better. Perhaps the individuals who are destroying the decorum and the world around us lose their opportunity to do so. I can only wish. I hope that more people will discover that the hate and divisiveness that rules their lives should come to an end. That my recovery from the small spinal fracture will recover fully. That I'll shoot below 100 at St. Andrews! And that Mason's smile will be the guiding light that will guide my mindset into 2026! Hope is the drug of choice, the vitamin of the day, and the exercise that heals!
Happy New Year!