"The future isn’t just a place you’ll go. It’s a place you will invent.”
Nancy Duarte
We’re excited you’ve taken the first step to imagine a different 2030.
Good Life 2030 is a project that uses ‘futures thinking’ and ‘imagination practices’ as a tool to unlock more powerful possibilities for change in the present. Imagination is something we are born with, so everyone can do this. You don’t need special skills, just an open mind.
We’ve been refining these practices with over 200 industry leaders since 2021, as a way into rethinking what a Good Life looks like, and what our role in shaping it might be.
Now we’ve built this toolkit to help more leaders and changemakers access these valuable tools. If you’re motivated to make change happen, these exercises will support you to define your vision of a future worth working for.
"The future isn’t just a place you’ll go. It’s a place you will invent.”
Nancy Duarte
Gather some materials
There will be a few creative and reflection exercises along the journey. You can do this however suits you, but you might find it helpful to download and/or print the workbook to guide you along the way. It will give you some helpful prompts. Aim to do this on a desktop if you can, but you can still follow along on mobile.
Find a quiet relaxing space
Ideally complete this journey away from your usual working environment, somewhere where you are comfortable and won’t be distracted. We recommend using headphones as audio experiences are part of the journey.
And don’t be tempted to rush!
With imagination work, we’ve learnt there are no shortcuts. It’s subtle work, and requires real attention. It might be tempting to skip an exercise once you’ve got the jist, but we promise it won’t be the same if you do.
You’re about to set off on an audio-guided journey to the year 2030. We’ve created this journey with our imagination partners at New Constellations,
This experience has been designed for you to do wherever you are, but a quiet place to reflect will help.
How did it feel to visit the future? Our guess is there might be a lot you’d like to change, and you’re not alone in wishing for this. When offered the time and space to imagine something different, many people arrive at surprisingly clear and consistent visions of the world they want.
In the next exercise, we’re going to share what others envisioned when they imagined their own 2030. We invite you to consider what feels consistent with your responses, and where you might differ.
We are now going to learn how others describe their vision of a Good Life in the future.
While you're reading and listening, think about:
Citizens were invited to imagine what a Good Life looks like for them in 2030.
The components of citizens' Good Life are clear.
Citizens are all dreaming of shifting from separateness to interconnectedness, be that with themselves, with others, or with nature.
Explore the key themes from our most recent report below.
Citizens’ future visions involve prioritising themselves and reflecting on what they want and need in life.
Citizens are dreaming of stepping out of the rat race, and adopting a slower pace of life.
In shaky times, firm foundations on which to live are a higher priority.
Citizens are feeling shackled by volatile systems, and desire to be more self-sufficient in the future.
Citizens are still reprising the value of relationships with friends, family, neighbours and wider society in their visions of a good life.
Citizens envisage a future with close knit community ties and support systems.
Now, the emphasis is less on fun & games, and more on care & stability.
Instead of living ad hoc, citizens imagine protecting their routines and rituals with loved ones.
In 2023, citizens’ future good life means orienting around their environment and the natural world in new ways.
Citizens are keen to reappraise nature less as a distant relative, and more as immediate family.
They dream of doing more with less resources.
However, they are also preoccupied with evidence of nature unravelling, and have new visions of seeing nature stabilised.
Time to pause and reflect.
You’ve nearly completed part one of this toolkit. Before you take a break, take 10 minutes to consider, with everything you’ve seen and heard, what a Good Life in 2030 looks like for you now.
Jot down what a good life looks like for you personally, for those around you, and for your wider environment.
Enjoy it - this is your vision of a future worth working for!
We suggest you sleep on it and put aside 50 minutes tomorrow or in the next week to revisit this journey.
In part two, we’re going to consider the role of advertising, marketing and media in helping us redirect towards the new Good Life.