Creating the Future
Okay, everyone, here’s the deal. As it turns out, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and a lot of talking about the incredible future that awaits us, but I haven’t done much writing about it. I started this blog in part to start sharing some of the thoughts I’ve had in a way that can be shared and discussed over time, so let’s get down to business.
I am deeply curious about finding ways to cultivate true happiness in the world. But not just any kind of happiness. Angry Birds makes people happy, but only on a very superficial level. I’m talking about the good stuff.
Fulfillment. Self actualization. Truly embracing the fact that happiness is found in the pursuit of a better self.
We’re moving from knowledge work to creative work. That means there is more and more opportunity for people to make a living doing something about which they are truly passionate. Coworking communities are petri dishes for these new, creative, highly autonomous and independent people. They are just a glimpse of where the world is going, and the early things we’re observing are really exciting. Because in this early phase, we’re seeing people collaborating. Sharing. Creating. Building great things. Helping one another. They are engaged. They are, as a population, collectively closer to a state of fulfillment than any other that I’ve encountered.
And the ranks are growing fast. A handful of coworking communities only five years ago is now hundreds. And the thousands of people who count themselves among this new population is growing every day at an accelerating rate.
But it’s early. We’ve only just begun to build new things to accommodate the unique needs of these independent workers. Only a few years ago, these people didn’t even have a place to gather. Now, as they approach a critical mass, they are increasingly gathering in one place, united by their shared interests and values. But aside from getting everyone in the same room together, we haven’t gone much further than that yet. Surely these people need more than just a place to gather. They need, for example, to replace much of the structure and accountability that previous work structures provided.
Working 9 to 5 and commuting to an office may suck for many, but a total lack of externally applied structure is no good either. Doing away with the old structures is a great first step, but the next step is to rebuild them in a way that fits our new needs.
I want to explore these things deeply. If we can replace the old with the new and make it easier for more people to pursue independent, passionate, creative careers, then more people will have an opportunity to achieve a true fulfillment. More people will be building real, useful, beautiful things, and that’s a healthy thing for all of us, not to mention an ailing economy in need of some fresh success.
The future is ours to build. I want to build a future in which true personal fulfillment is achievable by anyone who seeks it.
New Work City is a foundation for building this future. Let’s talk about what we can do with that.
Are you in?
