To make this exercise more manageable, you’re given a superpower- the wild imagination of Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, “one of the true geniuses of our time.”

Clarke was an English science-fiction writer, science writer, futurist of outstanding ability, an inventor, an undersea explorer, and one of my favorite childhood authors. He co-wrote the screenplay for “2001: A Space Odyssey.” The movie touches on themes ike human evolution, artificial intelligence, technology, and, yes, aliens. What kid doesn’t like aliens? 

The movie is considered one of the most influential films of all time. In 1991, it was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Clarke’s imagination and science fiction writings earned him the moniker “Prophet of the Space Age.” Clarke not only won the highest science fiction honors, the Nebula and Hugo Awards but also received nominations for an Academy Award and the Nobel Peace Prize and was knighted for his services to literature. 

Clarke made the movie in 1961, imagining what would happen in 40 years. So whether you think the film it’s boring, futuristic, or requires that you get stoned to watch it, it’s beyond the point. The idea is to imagine your life 40 years from now. And thanks to secret technology, you get 40 years added to your life expectancy. 

Now to help your imagination even more, we’ll add these conditions to the film script you’re writing. 

1. We have magically saved the planet from ourselves. Somehow, the human race has figured out how to preserve and protect the oceans, rivers, air, and soil. Climate change is no longer a threat, and our landfills are not overflowing. Because let’s face it, if we continue the way we’re going: “By 2050, we will be at 300 to 500 percent above the carrying capacity of our planet to renew itself.” says Yvon Chouinard, the Founder of Patagonia, in his book ‘Let my people go surfing.” 
2. There are no wars. Instead of hate, there’s kindness and forgiveness. There are no mass shootings, race crimes, or killings of each other, on the road, in the office, at home, or in the grocery store. 
3. The entire Earth is now accessible for people to work from anywhere, on schedules that fit their personal lives. People move around freely, choosing where they want to live based on their internal North Star value system. Instead of 4-day work weeks, you work 4 hours a day. Human skills are valued more than technical skills. (That you don’t have to imagine, it’s already the case.)
4. Technology and AI have eliminated manual work. There’s been a wealth reallocation, and everyone has sufficient resources to cover their basic needs. 
5. Health care is freely available, and doctors get paid to keep people healthy and out of hospitals. 
6. The education system is free and accessible to everyone, and school teachers are not taxed more than billionaires.
7. We are whole. We stop chasing greed and egos and start choosing love and harmony. We have formed supportive local communities and engaged in wisdom vocation-related communities online. Instead of anger, depression, denial, fear, and scarcity, we live in abundance, high energy, presence, and peace of mind. 

Now, imagine it’s 2062. 

Where do you live? What do you do for work? How do you fill your leisure time? 

I want to think that a typical day in 2062 looks like this: 

• You live in a place you love, in a community that cares and supports each other.
• You work on something that makes the world a better place.  
• You have plenty of time to exercise, meditate, garden, cook, and socialize with people around you. 
• Your work connects you to wise people worldwide, and together, you create something that positively benefits others and the planet. 
• Play is something you do regularly – whether outside, active, or indoors, creative, play puts you “in the zone.” While you play, you come back home to being human. A-ha’s, connection with yourself and nature, empathy, fun, and laughter, are all born in playtime, but for some reason, we stop playing as adults. 
• You share the gifts only you have with the world without fear, judgment, or comparisons. Authenticity makes for peak performance. 
• The rest of the time, you volunteer, engage in philanthropic activities, travel, have “peak experiences” regularly, and marvel at the beauty of the day and the world around you. 

If termites can do it, why can’t we?

In one of Arthur Clarke’s stories, he talks about an alien who observed humans learn their behavior so they could conquer them. He realized that humans are relatively easy to defeat. But he was startled by the behavior of termites which, once they realized he was a threat, attacked his ship and almost killed him. So he retreated from Earth to share with his alien tribe: 

 “They work, live, and die for the good of the state. To them the individual is nothing. With us, and with man, the state exists only for the individual. Who shall say which is right?”

Imagine what would happen if we all start acting as if it’s already 2062. Legendary founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, just gave away his company. 

“Rather than selling the company or taking it public, Mr. Chouinard, his wife and two adult children have transferred their ownership of Patagonia, valued at about $3 billion, to a specially designed set of trusts and nonprofit organizations. They were created to preserve the company’s independence and ensure that all of its profits — some $100 million a year — are used to combat climate change and protect undeveloped land around the globe,” said the New York Times.

If you want to imagine your future, join me in Baja this Oct for our Unhustle retreat. See how a local community lives and supports each other, how efforts are made to protect scarce resources like water, how to grow food and develop sustainably, and how you can create a more intentional life, with deep work, and plenty of play time. Take time to step away from the grind, and redesign your days for harmony, peace, and calm. The future is now. Doors close in 10 days.