In the late 19th century, within a span of approximately 50 years, civilization was transformed by the invention of the electric lightbulb, indoor plumbing, automobiles, airplanes, the internal combustion engine, the camera, telephone, air conditioning, and refrigeration.
Since 1970, the most transformative innovations – the computer, the internet, and the smartphone – have revolutionized the way we work, communicate, and access information. Yet their influence has been concentrated in the digital sphere. Outside the digital realm, innovations that have radically changed our day-to-day existence are few and far between as most progress has consisted of improvements to already existing technologies.
Just as revolutionary innovations have slowed to a halt in the last 50 years, so has economic progress. While wages, household income, and net worth have all risen over the past decades, much of these gains have been offset by taxes and money printing. In many countries when all taxes are combined, such as sales taxes, income taxes, capital gains taxes, property taxes, and tariffs and other duties, many of us pay more than 50% of our income to fund the rampant waste and corruption of statist governments.
To make matters worse we are further looted through money printing, which acts as an invisible tax as the purchasing power of our savings decreases when central banks increase the money supply. The rampant expansion of the money supply, in other words, is papering over the stagnation that defines most economies across the globe.
There is widespread disappointment with governance failures, economic instability, and erosion of democratic norms, with many citizens mobilizing to demand systemic reforms and social justice.
This means that there is a huge need for innovation, at any level and any type.
However, you can’t solve the planet’s biggest problems without changing the system.
And you can’t change the system without changing minds. The deepest lever for systemic change is our mindset.
This means that we need to Upgrade Innovation.
To upgrade innovation, we need to:
Upgrade our brains
Your current brain operating system is no longer appropriate and needs to be upgraded to the ‘Extraordinarian’ brain operating system.
Have a better understanding of people's behavior
Innovate innovation itself
I have come to meet a lot of extremely successful people in my life. They have one thing in common, they think differently than most people. All of them to a person, have rearranged their brains to prevail at achieving big goals in turbulent environments where conventional thinking often fails. Making a few billion dollars doesn’t just happen, but it is possible with intense focus and a willingness to transform how you use your mind.
~ Brad Jacobs (started seven billion dollar or multibillion dollar enterprises)