Create an astounding future with an “enchanted notebook”

Envision what’s next — and make it a reality!

Imagine if you had an enchanted notebook with a very special power: Any idea you write in it, it will show you how to make it real.

That’s the fanciful but profound picture Packy McCormick painted in a recent newsletter. No one owns such a magical writing device, of course. That would be amazing!

But you own the next best thing: a creative mind that can richly imagine a compelling future — and then reverse engineer the steps you need to take to make it a reality.

This technique, also known as “futurecasting,” is a powerful thought experiment that can help you imagine and create an amazing future.

How to do it

The brain can’t tell the difference between reality and a scenario that is vividly imagined. That’s why one of the keys to making futurecasting work is to create a scenario where your invention already exists. It’s your job to explain it to others.

Legendary inventor Ray Kurzweil puts it this way:

“Imagine you’re giving a speech about how you created this. Well you’d have to work backwards about how you created it to make it work.