Are you here?

Scott Galloway is a Professor of Marketing at the New York University Stern School of Business, and a public speaker, author, podcast host, and entrepreneur. Every year he presents predictions for the years ahead in his like-it-or-loathe-it definitive style; you’re certainly going to be flamed if you're Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos. Here are this year’s predictions as a one-hour presentation. It’s well worth watching. You don’t have time? Here’s a handful of takeouts from his rapid-fire predictions.

1. Wealth will increasingly be unevenly distributed. This year, the wealth of three people in the US will be worth more than the bottom 50% of the population combined.
2. Hyper luxury - driven by false scarcity - will be a winning strategy (for the brands that wish to be exploitative).
3. AI will be an enduring technology, and powering it sustainably is an opportunity. More on that later.
4. Build time machines; several of the world’s most successful did. Time machine? Amazon “saves” hours going to independent shops. Netflix saves time going to the cinema.*
5. Health is an industry that is ripe for disruption. Can you or your business invest in this space?
6. Loneliness is a growing concern, exacerbated, not by the Pandemic, but by social media. One in seven males doesn’t have a single friend.
7. News has a negative bias that needs to be addressed. We all know this is true.

And finally, there’s a question about presence. Let me share an anecdotal story.

Yesterday I paddled out to Lacerations, an aptly named reef break in Bali. The waves were small when they came and lacked power. I sat on my board, looking out to the ocean, waiting. I wasn’t ruminating on the past, what could have been, what I might have said, shouldn’t have done.? And part from a sense of readiness to turn as the ocean rose and darkened, I wasn’t strategising about the future, what might be, what I must accomplish. I sat in the moment, alive, and entirely happy, if conscious of any emotion at all. I was there. Present. Arguably, it’s the biggest (existential) question to ask and answer. To quote Scott, “Are you here?”

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Addendum.?

When discussing this with my wife, we agreed that being (more) present still affords reflective and therapeutic time, considering the past, and planning and strategies for the future. It’s more a question of division of time, of consciousness. There are periods of our life where asking existential questions become prevalent. At these times, having a guide, and a coach can be most helpful. If you’re considering asking big questions, and answering them with action, and want support, I’m ready to work with you when you are.

• I don’t think that convenience is the only value that should be considered when buying something. Social interaction and local economies could be equally or more important. A new bookshop has opened in my small town and I’m going to use it to buy any books they can supply (probably significantly less than Amazon can). I also happen to like the cinema experience and its overpriced popcorn.