"If you aren't pushing boundaries, you'll never discover how far it is that you can actually go!" - Futurist Jim Carroll
35 years ago this week, I quit a comfortable, well-paying job with what is now KPMG (and for a time, the particular company I was with was part of what is now Ernst Young as well - and started working on my own, in my home, developing into a career that eventually positioned me as a globally recognized futurist.
4 years later, my wife quit her comfortable job as a senior executive at Unilever to help me out, and she's been working with me in the home office since then.
We both took the big gamble - me on my belief that technology and fast-moving trends would redefine our future, and she in her belief that I could build a unique career within that space. Although there have been the inevitable bumps along the way, it's a hell of a ride on a rocket. (I've documented the wild journey along the way, such as this post, Home Sweet Office, marking 30 years.)
We were pushing boundaries.
Read that post in the context of this thought: "30 years ago, I began the voyage that would help me reinvent my future - and discover the magic that lay within it!"
The magic lies beyond the boundaries.
And at any given moment, we are surrounded by those who are doing the same - pushing boundaries to find the magic.
In the case of my wife and I, if we hadn't pushed those boundaries, we would never have discovered that magic that came from riding all the explosive trends that have defined our world, at the same time experiencing the wild joy that comes from raising your children at home while you are working at home. Today? The future unfolds with our first grandchild.
All around us, we are surrounded by those who are busy working to discover the magic that exists in pushing boundaries, to see how far it is they can actually go. And in that context, we should watch them, learn from them, get inspired by them, and chase our own actions from the actions we observe from them.
Which brings me back to Dogan Altindag. I mentioned him in my post yesterday about 'difficult decisions,' particularly in the context of a post he wrote about trends in the speaking industry. Our paths have crossed in the last few years, and with that, I became aware of a project he has been working on, Scurati, found over at speakercuration.com.
It's an AI speaker booking engine - give it a short brief, and in an instant, you'll get back a pretty detailed response with 3 speakers that match your requirements, plus one bonus idea.
Like many industries, the speaking industry is ripe for change, disruption, new initiatives, bold concepts - and the disruptive reality that is artificial intelligence. I have no belief that speakers will be replaced by talking holograms and virtual realities - we tried that - and while it didn't work then, I don't believe it will work in the future.
Authenticity of stage delivery will be much in demand in an artificial future.
That said, the process of finding an appropriate topic expert will face description, and has in the past. There are a gazillion speaker bureaus and a gazillion more speakers, and it's become extraordinarily difficult to find the right topic expert. (It already is!) That's where Dogan's bold bet comes in - in seconds, you'll get your response to your query, and then Dogan will begin to personally follow up.
Skeptical? Give it a try!
I did a quick test looking for an AI expert focused on the role of the technology in pharmaceutical and drug discovery, and I'm pretty astonished by the precision and depth of the response (although disappointed I wasn't on the list LOL!)
Will the initiative take off? Will Dogan's bold bet pay off? Can he build up the awareness, momentum, and traction to put a ding in the global speaker universe?
Hard to say - that's the thing about big, bold bets. But the most important thing isn't just the tremendous amount of effort he has put into the initiative - it's the fact that he has taken the initiative. It might work, and it might not. But he will never live the life of regret that inevitably comes from not chasing the idea.
Far too many people never chase their bold ideas. They never change their dreams. They never push the envelope. They never explore the boundaries of what's possible.
And with that, they live a life of regret for what might have been, rather than enjoying the moments of what is.
Just like my wife and I took that big, bold bet 35 years ago this week, and have never looked back.
Push your boundaries. Discover how far you can go.
Start now.
Futurist Jim Carroll is forever grateful to his wife for supporting his big, bold bet 35 years ago.