I’m delighted to showcase a special guest post from my Stanford colleague, Dr. Frederik Pferdt. Frederik is Google’s original Chief Innovation Evangelist, and just published his first book, “What’s Next Is Now.”

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Let’s face it: our minds are wired to crave certainty about the future. We scour the news, analyze trends, and even check our horoscopes—all in search of a glimpse into what’s coming next. But here’s the thing: that relentless hunt for predictions is a mistake!

Why? Because the future isn’t something that happens to you. It’s something you actively shape. By obsessing over predictions, we become passive observers, waiting for the future to unfold. But what if we flipped the script? What if we stopped worrying about what might happen and started creating the future we want?

I’m a future optimist because I believe in embracing the opportunities ahead rather than fearing uncertainty. The choices you make today are the building blocks of your future. The more intentional and varied your choices, the more opportunities you create for yourself.

On the flip side, if you avoid stepping outside your comfort zone, someone else ends up making choices for you. Ever wonder how people find themselves in unfulfilling careers? It’s often because they stopped making intentional choices that could have led them down a different path. They become passengers in a car driven by fate, luck, or happenstance.

But here’s the good news: You don’t have to be a passenger. You can be the driver. Imagination is your most powerful tool. By engaging with the possibilities of each moment, you start to see a different landscape for your future.

During the early days of the pandemic, I led an innovation sprint at Google, where we used metaphors like “beehives” and “space stations” to reimagine the workplace. Imagination turned what seemed like a distant dream into a concrete plan that supported our global workforce. It showed me that the biggest risk isn’t stepping into the unknown—it’s assuming that what was true yesterday will be true tomorrow.

Mindstate Over Technology: Your Key to the Future

Success in the future isn’t about having the latest tech; it’s about cultivating the right mindstate. At Google, I learned that it’s your mental preparedness—your optimism, openness, curiosity, experimentation, and empathy—that makes all the difference. These are the dimensions of a future-ready mindstate that fuel your thoughts and actions.

It’s not about being a tech wizard; it’s about using your curiosity to explore new tools. Maybe AI intimidates you, but playing around with it could spark an idea that leads to something new and exciting. Your mindstate makes these opportunities visible, not the technology itself.

Embrace the Unexpected

Change can be scary, but it’s inevitable. Our brains are wired to resist it, even though evolution is all about adapting. To thrive, you need to train your mind to expect the unexpected.

Here’s a simple exercise to help you do that. One morning, find a quiet space where you can sit comfortably. Close your eyes and take deep, slow breaths in and out. With each breath, feel your mind centering and your body relaxing.

First, envision your day unfolding exactly as planned. You smoothly move through each activity, and by the end of the day, you feel satisfied and in control. This is your ideal scenario, where everything goes as expected.

Now, rewind and imagine the day taking an unexpected turn. Picture yourself waking up late, missing an important meeting, or encountering a project setback. Allow yourself to feel the stress or anxiety that these situations might provoke. Visualize each twist and turn that throws your day off course.

As you do, pause after each scenario to take a deep breath. With each breath, focus on acceptance. Breathe in acceptance, and breathe out resistance. Acceptance in, resistance out. Now, instead of just seeing the disruptions, look for the potential within them. What opportunities could arise from these unexpected events? Perhaps a canceled meeting frees up time for creative brainstorming. Maybe a project setback opens the door to a more innovative solution.

This exercise helps rewire your brain to not just tolerate but embrace uncertainty. It’s about training your mind to be adaptable, to see change not as a threat but as a doorway to new possibilities. The more you practice this, the more naturally your mind will pivot in real-time, turning unexpected events into opportunities for growth.

Open Your Eyes to Better: The Story of Kalle Ryan

Hope is nice, but it’s passive. Radical optimism, on the other hand, is an active belief in the potential for better. It’s about progress, not perfection. Innovators know that “better” comes from constant iteration, not from hitting a home run every time.

Let me share the story of Kalle Ryan, one of the many “Future Readies” I coached at Google. For years, Kalle juggled a dual identity—his corporate self, which he likened to Bruce Wayne, and his creative self, which he saw as Batman. By day, Kalle was a respected leader at Google, and later at Meta, driving significant projects that impacted thousands of people. But despite his professional success, he felt a deep sense of dissatisfaction. It was as if the creative part of him—the Batman side—was being left out of the equation.

Kalle knew something had to change, but he wasn’t sure how to bring his creative self into his corporate role. He was stuck, seeing the two aspects of his identity as separate and incompatible.

Then one day, Kalle asked himself a simple yet profound question: What if Batman came to work? This shift in perspective was a game-changer. Instead of seeing his creativity and his corporate role as two different worlds, he started to integrate them. He began to approach his work with the same creativity and imagination that fueled his passion projects outside the office.

Suddenly, meetings became opportunities for creative expression. Reports and presentations transformed into platforms for storytelling. Challenges that once seemed routine were now puzzles to be solved with innovative thinking. Kalle wasn’t just completing tasks; he was infusing them with his unique creative energy.

The results were transformative. Not only did Kalle find renewed joy and fulfillment in his work, but his team and projects also thrived under this new approach. His willingness to embrace radical optimism—believing that there was a better way to approach his work—unlocked new paths and possibilities that had previously been hidden.

Kalle’s story is a testament to the power of radical optimism and the belief that the future can be better if we’re willing to look for those small degrees of improvement. It’s about trusting that better is out there and being ready to seize it when it appears.

How Do You Want to Be in the Future?

Your future-ready mindstate isn’t just about what you do; it’s about how you are. It’s about leaving your unique “you-print” on the world. Every choice you make today reflects how you want to be in your future.

So, ask yourself: How do you want to show up in the world? How do you want to shape your future? The future isn’t far off—it’s happening right now. And with the right mindstate, you’re more than ready to shape it.

This excerpt is based on Frederik’s Next Big Idea Club Book Bite.
For more info about Frederik’s book, please visit: www.whatsnextisnowthebook.com

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