This weekend I happened to watch Extrapolations, a 2023 American anthology miniseries created by Scott Z. Burns for Apple TV+. If you haven't watched it yet, I would highly recommend this one.
[Caution: Potential spoilers ahead]
While I watched Extrapolations, devastating fires in LA were making headlines, destroying lives and disrupting the economy. It was a chilling reminder that the future depicted in the series isn’t distant—it’s happening now. The show’s themes of resilience, greed, and environmental collapse felt painfully relevant, blurring the line between fiction and reality. Watching the stories unfold while real-world disasters played out reinforced the urgency to confront the “default future” we’re heading toward and the critical need for action, both individual and collective.
 | The series not only feature a stellar cast, but it is also a well-crafted and thought-provoking series that envisions a near future shaped by the escalating effects of climate change. Through interconnected stories spanning decades, the show delves into the human, social, and ethical implications of environmental catastrophe. It explores themes of resilience, greed, innovation, and morality, presenting a speculative yet cautionary vision of what could unfold if humanity fails to act decisively on climate issues today. |
It explores a wide range of nuanced climate change impacts and vividly illustrates how it could profoundly impact every aspect of our future lives. These include technological advancements over time, job loss due to automation, physical and mental health challenges, climate refugees and political upheavals, shifts in religious beliefs, food and water scarcity, species extinction and the fight for preservation, the right to personal information (including memories), the emergence of a new carbon economy, our relationships, and the evolution of legal systems. Throughout, it serves as a powerful reminder that, despite decades of transformation across every domain, two paradoxical truths endure: the persistence of destructive human behavior and the resilience of undying hope.
The ultimate fantasy is that there is no cost for our comforts.
Coincidentally, I am also in the verge of completing two books. The first one is Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson. The second one is Three Laws of Performance by Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan.
 | Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) delves into the psychology of self-justification and cognitive dissonance, explaining why people struggle to admit their mistakes, even in the face of overwhelming evidence. The book explores how individuals, leaders, and groups rationalize bad decisions to protect their self-image, often doubling down on errors rather than confronting them. It offers insights into how these mental defenses perpetuate conflict, prevent learning, and hinder growth, while also providing strategies for overcoming these tendencies to foster humility, accountability, and better decision-making. |
 | Three Laws of Performance explores how individuals and organizations can achieve transformation by understanding the relationship between occurring, language, and action (performance). It introduces three core laws that demonstrate how shifting narratives and embracing future-based commitments can unlock breakthroughs in performance. By addressing the underlying structures of how situations “occur” to people, the book provides a framework for leaders to reimagine the future and inspire collective action toward meaningful goals. |
The timing of these three works couldn't have been any better for me. They were fresh in my mind, allowing me to explore and uncover truly fascinating connections between them.
Three Laws of Performance, Extrapolations, and Mistakes Were Made collectively offer a powerful lens for understanding transformation. They emphasize the need to confront limiting narratives, own responsibility, and act with urgency to rewrite the future. Whether leading an organization, addressing personal biases, or tackling global crises like climate change, these works remind us that transformation is possible—but only if we first rethink how we think, perceive, and act. Together, these works explore interconnected themes of human perception, leadership, responsibility, and transformation.
Here are my top 10 connections and takeaways between these narratives and how they collectively inspire action, reflection, and transformation.
As I thought about Three Laws of Performance, Extrapolations, and Mistakes Were Made, I couldn’t help but notice how connected they felt to my own experiences. They made me take a closer look at the stories I tell myself, the impact of my choices, and the way I sometimes justify my actions—or avoid taking action at all. They reminded me that transformation, whether it’s personal, at work, or something bigger, always starts with being honest with yourself and willing to try something different.
Knowing we’re living into a “default” future, it’s scary to realize that even the small things we do—often unconsciously—might be having a massive effect on the planet. At the same time, it’s daunting to feel powerless and not inspired enough to act without seeing immediate results. This dissonance is something I admit keeps many of us, including myself, from taking action—a tough truth to face but crucial if we want to move from awareness to meaningful transformation.
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