"Chase the BIG things!" - Futurist Jim Carroll
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Futurist Jim Carroll is writing a series, The Art of the Infinite Pivot, based on 36 lessons from his 36 years as a solo entrepreneur, working as a nomadic worker in the global freelance economy. The series is unfolding here, and at pivot.jimcarroll.com.
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When big, bold opportunities are unfolding, do you chase the big ideas or keep doing small things?
The art of the infinite pivot involves the former, obviously, not the latter.
Big trends involve big opportunities, but only come around so often. So why would you wait?
Think of it this way: the biggest pivot of your life won’t start with a spreadsheet or a market report.
It starts when you finally choose to listen to the quiet, internal voice inside you telling you to leave the safety of "certainty" for the risk of something bigger.
When I quit the corporate world in 1990, I didn't have a 50-page business plan. What I had was a gut feeling that something massive was happening with global networking. I just knew I had to be a part of it. I had no idea where it was going to take me, what I might do, or how I might shape my tomorrow.
But I just knew... so I traded a predictable salary for the unpredictable thrill of the unknown.
I stopped chasing the "safe" path and started chasing the thing I actually wanted to chase.
It worked out pretty well!
Unknown to me at the time, I was deeply caught up in one of the most important aspects of innovation of all - emotional commitment to a bigger trend. And that is the lesson many leaders miss: true innovation requires an emotional investment in a bold future. You'll only accomplish big things if you innovate within the bigger trend.
My early pivot has continued through my career. In fact, throughout my 36-year voyage, the moments of greatest growth always happened after I abandoned the "proven" model to follow a bigger signal that only I could hear.
Look, certainty is comfortable, but being bold takes you further.
Don't wait for the world to permit you to change.
Listen to your internal voice.
Chase the thing you want to chase.
Because it might be in front of you right now.
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It's no wonder that the title of one of Jim's books starts with Think BIG...!
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Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2026/04/decoding-tomorrow-the-infinite-pivot-series-12-chase-the-big-things/
"Methanex is one of Aotearoa's largest polluters. It burns 45% of our total natural gas supply to produce low value methanol and millions of tons of carbon dioxide. In the process, it also receives millions of dollars in pollution subsidies - roughly $40 million worth last year."
@norightturnnz, 2026
https://norightturn.blogspot.com/2026/03/good-riddance.html
Methanex was a #ThinkBig project. Remember how selling our public infrastructure was meant to turn subsidised lame ducks into revenue sources for the public purse?
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"Shift your mindset from why you can't to why you must!" - Futurist Jim Carroll
It was an honor to present at the recent BIFMA 360 Leadership Conference in St. Petersburg, where I took a hard look at the "era of acceleration" currently transforming the manufacturing industry.
From the rapid integration of AI and robotics to the emergence of "swarm factories," the message is clear: the future is coming at you faster than you think. How fast are things changing? Take a look at my slide deck - I share the full thing right here. I don't often share these, but I'm particularly proud of what I put together.
To encourage them to keep moving forward, I just shared a deep-dive summary, and a video recap that collectively outline the mindset required to survive—specifically, my mantra to "Think BIG, Start small, Scale fast!"
How did I encourage them to think about tomorrow? I told them about what things would look like in exactly 10 years!
The slides and article guide you through "Project Aura," a hypothetical 2035 scenario where we build a "phygital" workspace using digital twins and bio-responsive materials. These resources outline a 10-step roadmap—from "cognitive briefs" to "product-as-a-service"—illustrating how technologies such as generative AI and 3D printing are reshaping the entire manufacturing lifecycle.
I also filmed a summary YouTube video as a refresher of what I covered in the keynote. It brings these concepts to life with practical leadership strategies for today. In it, I discuss the importance of building an "Xbox Room" to allow young engineers to experiment with new tools and the necessity of hiring "rebels and misfits" to shake up the current skill set. The video serves as a passionate reminder that we are in a time where trends can go "supernova" and change an industry overnight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHm7JLDEXTM
Crucially, I warned them of the dangerous "barbell structure" forming in the industry - big companies are doing all these things, and small and medium-sized manufacturers are falling behind. I challenged these leaders to "kill the innovation killers" (the excuses that hold you back) while building the "experiential capital" necessary to avoid becoming the hollowed-out middle.
Overall?
My key guidance was not to try to avoid what must be done - and to do that, they needed to shift their mindset from why they 'can't' to why they 'must!
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Futurist Jim Carroll has spoken at well over 100 manufacturing events, outlining the trends that are rapidly redefining one of our most important industries.
**#Mindset** **#Manufacturing** **#Innovation** **#Leadership** **#Future** **#Acceleration** **#AI** **#Robotics** **#ThinkBIG** **#Scale** **#Strategy** **#Transformation** **#DigitalTwin** **#Technology** **#Rebels** **#Change** **#Growth** **#BIFMA** **#Industry** **#Vision** **#Action** **#Disruption** **#Tomorrow** **#MustDo** **#Onwards**
Eine Weltmacht wird man auch, wenn man kooperativ möglichst viele verlässliche Partnerschaften entwickelt, die jeweils beidseitig als vorteilhaft erlebt werden. #EUIndia #EUTrade #ThinkBig #EUVision #EUTheBlueForce
https://www.zdfheute.de/politik/ausland/eu-indien-handelsabkommen-freihandel-100.html
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Futurist Jim Carroll
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