Futurist Jim Carroll is running a series that began November 27, 2023, and will end on January 1, 2024 - '24 Strategies for 2024.' Rather than running a trend series for the upcoming year as he has previously, this series will examine a number of his personal beliefs on how to best align yourself with the future. There will be a post each weekday, excluding weekends and holidays, until the series runs its course. You will find it on his blog at
or on the website
Your reputation matters. Your personal brand counts. How others perceive you determines so much of what will drive your success going forward. You will define your tomorrow not only through the hard work you put toward your success but how you do the right thing for others.
All of these reasons and more are why 'becoming known for what matters' is strategy #10 of my 24 Strategies for 2024 series.
With that in mind, why not spend a good part of the next year - and beyond - on turning things around and upside down, so that you become known as the person who does the right thing, rather than just someone who does something?
Since I seem to like lists of '101 Things,' here's my list of 101 things you might try to achieve the goal of becoming known for what matters.
- Make sure other people don't see you as a barrier to tomorrow - they should see you as a gateway.
- Don't be the person who never has ideas - accelerate your imagination instead.
- Instead of saying it can't be done, be the one to suggest how it can be done.
- Rather than being frustrated at a team that can't come together, try to be the individual who helps them to find a common cause.
- Instead of complaining to someone, try to find the thing that can lead you to a compliment.
- Don't let the anger inside you get out - take a deep breath and find your better self.
- Be someone who provides others hope, not doubt.
- Share your thoughts about possibilities, rather than keeping them to yourself
- Transform obstacles that are in the way into pathways for success.
- Be someone who unites, not divides.
- Give comforting words that heal, not hateful words that wound.
- Turn your challenges into opportunities for others.
- Be that someone who can offer a voice of reason amid all the chaos.
- Encourage, don't discourage, whenever you can.
- Try to find the seeds of agreement rather than being the harvester of discord
- Lead by example, instead of looking to others for guidance
- Find the opportunities in disruptive trends, instead of focusing on just the threats
- Become known as someone who embraces creativity, rather than one who actively shuts down ideas
- Be the person who champions teamwork, not the person who works in isolation.
- Get a reputation as someone who listens carefully, not the one who shouts everyone down
- Give praise when warranted rather than criticism when not
- Actively solicit opinions, instead of being the person who ignores feedback.
- Be someone who thinks outside the box, not the person who is confined by it
- Build people up, not the one who tears them down
- Be the person who spreads creativity, not the person who contains it.
- Inspire others with hope rather than discouraging them with fear
- Don't be known for being average - be seen as the one who pushes beyond limitations
- Be an engine of offbeat ideas rather than being known as an unimaginative mind
- Be the person who thinks differently, not the person who follows the crowd.
- If you have any power in a situation, use it to empower others
- Be that someone who redefines the future, not the one who dwells on the past.
- Get known as being the one who champions meaningful change, not the person who resists it
- Make sure you are known as a thoughtful risk taker rather than a destructive, impulse-oriented taker of risk
- Make sure your enthusiasm for tomorrow is always alive rather than actively dormant
- Try to achieve the biggest goals instead of being known as the one who settles for mediocrity.
- Gain a reputation as being one who constantly improves, not the person who stagnates.
- Find opportunities in relentless uncertainty rather than bemoaning about the state of regular volatility
- Be the person who works towards a common vision, not the person who loses sight of the goal.
- Be the person who is barely noticed but greatly impactful, not the person who seeks the spotlight without impact.
- Help others unlock their potential rather than undertaking actions that might stifle their growth.
- Be the person who combines ideas creatively, not the person who keeps ideas separate
- Be unconventional, not boring
- Be the person who values team intelligence, not the person who underestimates it.
- Get recognition for being someone who can translate vision into reality, not the person who loses sight of the vision.
- Be the person who dreams boldly, not the person who dreams small.
- Write new stories of success rather than sticking to the old scripts
- Use your imagination to connect unconnected dots rather than drawing straight lines
- Build trust instead of eroding it
- Invest in the potential for unleashed energy, rather than suppressing it
- Be the person who sees change as progress, not the person who sees it as a threat.
- Be the person who seeds new worlds, not the person who dwells in the old ones.
- Find the possibilities rather than obsessing over the impossibilities.
- Be the person who builds trust, not the person who breeds mistrust.
- Be the person who creates more leaders, not the person who creates followers.
- Don't be that someone who holds up the status quo - break it
- Don't settle for the usual results - find the extraordinary ones
- Be the person who has a disciplined eye, not the person who overlooks details.
- Be that someone who embraces disruptive ideas rather than running from them
- Don't give up on the failed idea 0m use it as the springboard to the next one
- Get the reputation of being someone who knows how to go through uncertainty, rather than clinging to certainty
- Be the one who can focus while everyone else is distracted
- Find the potential in those around you, rather than trying to confine it
- Be a ray of sunshine on someone's cloudy day
- Celebrate the success of others rather than focusing on your own
- Be able to see beyond the obvious rather than being blinded by the ordinary
- Chase the new paradigms rather than clinging to the old ideas
- Become known as the one who can bring ideas to life rather than the one who dismisses them
- Be the person who brings something new into being, not the person who resists new beginnings.
- Be known for new ideas, not old ones
- Be recognized for building up teams rather than tearing them down
- Get known for embracing innovative ideas, not fighting them
- can define the trends of tomorrow and what to do about them, rather than suggesting that what worked yesterday
- Be the reason someone believes in the goodness of people.
- Be the person who nurtures and enhances, not the person who diminishes and degrades.
- Establish a goal of leading with inspiration, not fear.
- Be the tide that lifts all boats, not the storm that sinks them
- Be someone people can count on when times are troubled, rather than the person who runs away and hides
- Cultivate a culture of generosity, not selfishness.
- Be an architect of dreams, not a demolisher of hope.
- Set a mindset in which you will try to spread positivity, not negativity.
- Be a warrior of kindness, not a soldier of bitterness.
- Foster understanding, not misunderstanding.
- Be a beacon of inspiration, not desperation.
- Make it your mission to promote healing, not hurting.
- Be the person who reflects quality leadership, not the person who neglects responsibility.
- Encourage laughter, not tears.
- Be the person who achieves uncommon results, not the person who settles for the ordinary.
- Be the person who sees the future, not the person who is stuck in the past.
- At any given moment of difficulty, try to offer hope, not despair.
- Be a builder of bridges, not walls.
- Be a creator of opportunities, not a creator of obstacles.
- When it comes to knowledge and exploration of new things, encourage growth, not stagnation.
- Be the person who thinks 'we', not the person who thinks 'I'.
- In the face of relentless change, encourage resilience, not resignation
- Be a champion of the possible, not a critic of the impossible.
- When confusion abounds, be that someone who is a beacon of clarity, not ambiguity.
- Be a beacon of optimism, not pessimism.
- Encourage enthusiasm, not lethargy.
- Be a source of vitality, not fatigue.
- Offer a smile, not a frown
- Be that one who, in 2024, takes the initiative to be a better version of your better self.
Be a person who matters for who you are.
If you can do only a few of these things in 2024, you are going to have a fantastic year!
In 1977, The Book of Lists was released and became an overnight phenomenon, becoming a massive bestseller. That's exactly what it was - a book of lists about many different things. Jim Carroll devoured the book at the time and all the follow-up editions. It should be pretty obvious that he likes lists.