What are the top 10 trends for the next ten years? Download the report here.

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Your brain is beautiful.

And sometimes, it tricks you.

You think you see a beautiful young woman looking over her right shoulder (image above). But wait, it's an old woman with her chin buried in her coat collar, isn't it?

Both are true.

When faced with something new or ambiguous, we often don't see things as they are. We see them as we are. New images or ideas glide over well-worn neural pathways and if they don't connect to something we already know, our brain ignores them.

This "system 1" or "fast thinking" makes our brains efficient, but it also prevents us from seeing signals of the future that are all around us.

To see what's possible next year or the next decade, futurists must consciously recondition their minds to be open to new or ambiguous information.

Enjoy the blog, you big-brained beauty.

Read: Bias is an Innovation Killer
See: The Cognitive Bias Codex


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Rebecca Ryan, APF, FRSA
Rebecca Ryan, APF, FRSA

Rebecca is a human spark plug. Her enthusiasm to create bold, inspiring futures is contagious. She's an economist and top-50 professional futurist. She's been named "Communicator of the Year" by Women in Communication, "Entrepreneur of the Year" by the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship and has served as Resident Futurist at the Alliance for Innovation, the Association of Government Risk Pools, the Greater Omaha Chamber, and the Local Government Institute of Wisconsin. She's a keynote speaker, author and consultant with distinctions from the Association of Professional Futurists and the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. Rebecca's collaborative, creative approach to shaping the future has been trusted by leaders from over 200 communities, touching one in five Americans. Contact Lisa Loniello for Rebecca's keynote fee and availability.

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