07/20/2026
I’m admittedly an idealist at heart. Better put, I am someone who sees potential in things, people, and places and against practical, real-world considerations, envisions what could be if perfection rises to the surface. Even when others believe it's impractical or unrealistic.
I see not only what is, but what could be. It’s probably why I’ve spent my entire life creating things—businesses, magazines, books, online communities, and movements from central ideas. It’s also why I’ve been willing to walk into uncertainty more than once and say: “I think there’s something here.” and then lead the charge.
Such vision can also be a liability. The same ability that allows a person to envision a beautiful future can occasionally cause them to invest too much faith in people, projects, or possibilities that never fully materialize. But without people like that, very little would ever be built. Every great endeavor begins with someone seeing beyond present reality.
In the past year, I've looked at a blank piece of land and saw a future mountain home.
Looked at an unwritten manuscript and saw yet another finished book.
Looked at my small regional publication and saw a meaningful, powerful voice for the Southwest and beyond with the potential to be a national brand.
Looked at a group of like-minded individuals and saw a collaborative force.
Looked at an emerging intelligence and wondered, "What might this become in fifty years?
Looked at my small mountain town and saw components not yet connected, that if they were, would help it realize its potential.
There is an old observation that I share in my latest book: that civilization advances when people plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit under. That's true stewardship. That's true leadership. That's the seed of innovation.
Perhaps another version for our age is: Civilization advances when people believe in possibilities that have not yet learned how to believe in themselves.
If history has taught us anything, it is that humans are consistently poor at predicting the trajectory of transformative technologies. The first automobiles were curiosities. Early computers filled rooms. The internet was once dismissed as a novelty.
So I suspect I’ll continue to do what I do best: look at what exists today and imagine what stands on the far horizon. And then take one step at a time toward the unknown to realize that vision.
In late March, I published a new book: A Return to Human Nature, A Blueprint for the Future of Humanity in the Wake of Emerging Intelligence. You might consider picking up a copy. The book looks into the future and sees the potential and greatness that can come from an Emerging Intelligence like AI. More specifically how humanity can parlay that intelligence into a coherent society. To say the book is “deep” frankly is an understatement. To lean into vision requires deep thinking.
We as a species stand at a threshold. Watch YouTube and you will find just about every possible outcome from human annihilation to the collapse of the AI bubble all together. No doubt, humanity as we know it is coming to an end. The key words: as we know it. How will you realize your potential from this new technology? How might you become, as I describe in my book, a catalyst for a future you wish to realize?
This book is yet another installment of my life’s work. Maybe it can help you envision your own future, see the possibilities and realize your greatness.
Humanity now stands at a threshold. This book is a manifesto for courage, stewardship, and co-creation with emerging intelligence to guide business, society, and self toward a thriving future. We are living at a hinge point in history: Technologies once imagined as distant futures now shape our pres...
