Help Wanted Podcast: “The Myth of the ‘Right Path’”

Hosts: Jason Feifer (Editor in Chief, Entrepreneur Magazine) & Nicole Lapin (Money Expert)
Date: January 8, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode of Help Wanted, Jason Feifer takes center stage to challenge one of the biggest anxieties in work and life: the fear of taking the “wrong path.” Through a creative lens, Jason dives into predictions made a century ago about the world in 2026, highlighting just how unforeseeable the future really is—and why following a single “right” path is a myth. By dissecting three major predictions from 1926 newspapers, he offers both perspective and permission to stop worrying about whether you’re on the “correct” career or life trajectory.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Allure and Folly of Predictions

• Jason shares a personal New Year’s tradition: reviewing newspapers from 1926 to see what experts thought life would be like a century later.
• Quote:

  “They wanted to know. And so experts would offer confident answers… I love reading these things. They make me feel connected to something bigger, as if I'm living in the world that those people only imagined.” (02:05)

2. Three Predictions from 1926 (and What Really Happened)

A. Cities Will Disappear Thanks to Air Travel (03:15)

• 1926 newspapers predicted city life would fade, with everyone living in small towns thanks to ubiquitous, personal air travel.

• The reality: planes got bigger and safer, but mainly enabled travel between cities, which became more livable—not obsolete.

  Quote:

  “But of course, that's not exactly what happened. Air travel became safer, but primarily by building larger planes that move between urban hubs—and cities became cleaner, safer, and desirable.” (04:30)

B. The World Will Be ‘Standing Room Only’ (05:08)

• Scientists believed the planet would max out at 5 billion people, predicting mass starvation.

• Instead, 2026 has 8.3 billion people, thanks in part to revolutionary changes in food production (synthetic fertilizers, mechanization, global supply chains) and public health improvements.

  Notable observation:

  “They were reasoning correctly, based on the facts available to them at the time… What they couldn't foresee was a total re-engineering of how food is produced and distributed.” (06:02)

C. Marriage and Divorce Will Become Casual (07:35)

• In 1926, “notable British women” predicted marriage would evolve into an experimental, less binding arrangement and that divorce would be destigmatized.

• Divorce is more accepted and common (2.5 per 1,000 now, vs. 1.6 per 1,000 in 1926), and marriage is less of a “default survival strategy,” reshaped by women’s autonomy and changing social norms.

  Quote from 1926:

  “They described marriage as the clanking chains of matrimony.”
  Jason’s commentary:
  “At the time, marriage was often a social requirement and deeply gendered. Divorce was heavily stigmatized, and women rarely had the financial or social power to leave.” (08:13)

3. What These Predictions Teach Us (08:52)

• Predictions are straight-line extrapolations—often proven wrong because technology, incentives, and culture change in unpredictable ways.
• Main takeaway:

  “We cannot be certain of any one path, which means it is pointless to worry about taking the wrong one. There is no fixed track to stay on or to fall off of.” (09:32)

4. Letting Go of the ‘One Right Way’

• The stories of the past offer “permission to stop living as if predictions are instructions.”
• The task is to focus on what can be shaped and built now—not on anxiously forecasting or fearing the future.
• Closing encouragement:

  “The future is not predictable, but it is buildable. And right now, we are the ones who are alive, who are on this earth... We’re the ones here to do the building. So let’s do it. Let’s do it together. We will define 2026 for real.” (09:45)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On predictive hubris:

  “We take what we already see and we draw a straight line forward and we call it the future… Because X is happening, we assume Y must come next. But life does not move in straight lines.” (08:55)

• On agency in shaping the future:

  “The future is not predictable, but it is buildable.” (09:45)

Important Timestamps

• 01:47 — Jason introduces his New Year’s tradition and the episode's main theme.
• 03:15 — Prediction 1: Cities will disappear due to air travel; reality check.
• 05:08 — Prediction 2: Earth's supposed ‘standing room only’ limit; how we outpaced it.
• 07:35 — Prediction 3: Marriage and divorce to become casual; societal transformations.
• 08:52 — Reflections: Why predictions fail and what they teach us.
• 09:45 — Final takeaways: Building the future together, not fearing the wrong path.

Summary Takeaway

This episode of Help Wanted uses history not to judge the past but to liberate the present. Predictions are alluring but often wrong—and that's a gift, not a warning. Forget the myth of the “right path.” The world, your career, and your life are all to be built, not discovered. Let go of the anxiety of choosing “wrong”; embrace the messiness and opportunity of shaping what comes next.