"Stop managing 'what is'; start creating 'what could be.'" - Futurist Jim Carroll
Here's a thought to start your Monday: the gap between "what is" and "what could be" is where the future is either won or lost.
I've long seen this trap with leadership teams in many events I've done - organizations become so efficient at managing the current reality (aka the "what is") that they lose the capacity to create "what could be." They spend their energy defending last year's logic, perfecting declining business models, and negotiating terms for a world that no longer exists. They spend all their time on what was yesterday, instead of focusing on what could be tomorrow.
And that's obviously just the wrong thing to do.
If you want to move the needle, you have to stop managing all your realities and start chasing the possibilities. This requires a fundamental rethink in how you think things:
From "What Is" to "What If": Stop looking at what mattered yesterday and focus on what will be critical tomorrow.
From Administration to Agility: Always keep in mind my Master's in Business Imagination idea - we don't need more MBAs, we need MBIs! There are too many people 'administering' things, and not enough imagining them! While others are bogged down in analysis, the winners are moving quickly, decisively.
From "Can't" to "Must": Make tomorrow real. Confronting the reality of where it will take you is the first step toward mastering. Absolutely refuse the "mutual delusion" of comfort and stagnation - and get uncomfortable, quickly!
Don't let the weight of today’s challenges blind you to tomorrow’s potential.
Always keep in mind the present is a fact, but the future is a choice.
Burn this into your mind -> Stop managing "what is"; start creating "what could be."
---
Futurist Jim Carroll believes you should read his MBI Manifesto today.
MondayMotivation **#Leadership** **#Vision** **#Future** **#Possibilities** **#Creation** **#Innovation** **#Imagination** **#Agility** **#Mindset** **#Change** **#Strategy** **#WhatIf** **#Tomorrow** **#Potential** **#MBI** **#Action** **#Transformation** **#Thinking** **#Bold** **#Choice** **#Create** **#Growth** **#Leadership** **#Onwards**
Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2026/02/decoding-tomorrow-daily-inspiration-stop-managing-what-is-start-creating-what-could-be/