David Rasmussen, aka Rasamoto @Bertrecords@qoto.org

"Uncomfortably numb? Dazed and confused? Is this real life or fantasy? You want to be sedated? Hello, darkness my old friend? Welcome to the jungle. Because volatility seems to be the new normal." - Futurist Jim Carroll

Fun fact - I was a roadie for KISS for a few concerts. Plus, for Canadian fans - for April Wine! I got to carry the bell from Ooowatanite onto a stage in front of about 10,000 fans. Maybe that's where I developed my love for the stage!

Back to today's post.

2025 sure has been interesting (is that an understatement?) so far! We are barely into the new year.

So while today I'm having fun with some classic music lyrics, I also see them as more than just artistic statements – they're barometers of our collective response to this unprecedented era of massive instability.

So let's take it apart.

What many of us might describe as feeling " uncomfortably numb" or "dazed and confused" reflects a deeper truth about our current reality. We're living in a time where geopolitical certainties are dissolving overnight, where established alliances are being tossed overboard without regard for what they might mean, and where the very foundations of global order are being questioned.

With that, the desire to "be sedated" is, for many, an understandable response to a world where every morning's headlines might bring news of another crisis, another shift in the global power balance, or another challenge to long-held assumptions. But seeking escape through inaction is precisely the wrong response - I learned that many years ago.

When people reference "darkness," they're often expressing their discomfort with uncertainty itself. We're in an era where supply chains can be disrupted by a single blocked canal, where regional conflicts can trigger global economic shockwaves, and where erratic leadership is quickly destroying whatever stability we had. It's easy to lose ourselves to the negative, particularly when there is so much of it about.

So "welcome to the jungle" indeed! But this jungle isn't about speed; it's about the jungle of unpredictability. I think we all need to develop what I call "volatility intelligence" – enhancing our ability to thrive not just in change, but in chaos.

So - here I go again - think about this ---> the future belongs not to those who can simply move fast, but to those who can navigate complexity and uncertainty. 

The people who might thrive are those who can find clarity in the chaos, opportunity in the uncertainty, and purpose in periods of profound disruption.

This isn't just my normal optimism – it's how I'm trying to keep moving forward in this era of crazy global volatility.

Can you?

Futurist Jim Carroll looks back fondly at his short career as a ‘roadie.’

Original post - https://jimcarroll.com/2025/02/daily-inspiration-into-2025-uncomfortably-numb-dazed-and-confused-volatility-seems-to-be-the-new-normal/

Robber barons are a policy failure.

Daily Inspiration: "Fail on your own terms!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

Fail forward!

I don't know how many times I've been told that my plans were doomed to fail!

When I first made the massive career transition in the 80s to becoming someone focused on emerging technology and connectivity - what would later become the Internet - I was told I would fail. That didn't happen, because I was aligned to play a big role in one of the most significant technological developments of our time. When I set out to write my first Internet-related book in 1993, I was told it would fail because no one would buy it! It went on to become a national #1 bestseller and led to a career in which I was involved with 34 books that sold well over a million copies. When I decided, as a Canadian, to focus on the US for my speaking activities, I was told I would fail - and went on to be represented as I am to this day by the major speaker bureaus within the industry.

If one of my phrases is that 'the future belongs to those who are fast,' the other might be that it belongs to those who fail forward! Those who fail on their terms by deciding to move forward, and ignoring the detractors. In today's hyper-accelerated world of relentless innovation, here's your wake-up call: the only true failure is letting others define your limitations. The future demands audacious thinking, and history shows us that the most transformative innovators weren't afraid to fail spectacularly – they were afraid of not trying at all.

Remember this key point that I've shared before: "Some of your worst days can always become the first days of some of the best days of the rest of your life!"
Live that truth - by failing forward, and failing on your own terms.

#Failure #Persistence #Innovation #Success #Resilience #Growth #Future #Leadership #Courage #Transformation

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/12/daily-inspiration-25-things-for-2025-13-fail-on-your-own-terms/

Remember that weekend when everyone switched from MySpace to Facebook? Yeah that.

▶️ You can find me at: https://bsky.app/profile/gregpalast.bsky.social