Recently, I have had conversations with a few people regarding what the future may look like. As I expected, many of them just took a distant guess (as if the future were still some distant idea). Well, in reality, this is not about the future, it is about how you understand the moment in which we are living - which is, ultimately, a moment of creativity. You will only understand the now when you begin to focus on what is occurring now (not what is trending) but what is being built slowly.
Do you remember when YouTube started? A few people, most young people, were uploading videos through digital cameras with almost no quality. Some people never understood what they were doing. Others were simply ignored. It was not serious work. They kept going. Today, those few people are full-time creators with platforms, influence, income, and freedom. What appeared to be silly then now represents a serious moment in which we live.
Now think of something closer to our current day, ChatGPT and AI. Just a few short years ago, the idea that a machine could write full essays, compose music, develop apps, or converse in a human-like manner was unimaginable. But here you are, in this moment. Students, writers, developers, and businesses, people from all backgrounds are leveraging its functions to work faster, learn smarter, and build using a machine. AI is not escaping us. AI is transforming how we live.
Take a look at digital currency and blockchain. Years ago, people were laughing at Bitcoin and initial attempts at crypto projects. Now our governments and banks are testing their own digital currency. More young people understand decentralization, developers leverage blockchain platforms which rewards their attention and content without intermediaries.
The same process is occurring in virtual reality and the metaverse. Years ago, virtual reality felt like a science fiction movie. Today, we have people engaging in virtual meetings, classrooms, and concerts. Although the tools are still in their evolving, the shift has begun. So, what does this mean? That many of the people who are building today are not insane.
They are simply early. And early means often means being misunderstood. Most people who built what we now know as "normal," whether it would be YouTube, TikTok, capital, AI, or social platforms started by hustling on something that made no sense to the world at that moment in time.
They looked silly, mistakenly irrelevant, or too futuristic. But they committed to a vision. A vision when not many people acknowledge or realized it.
And that is the reality of vision, it is evident to you long before it is evident to others. So, if you are building something and people do not understand it yet, it is okay. It might just mean that you are early.