The Firefly Effect: How to Learn, Lead, and Thrive in the Age of AI

In an age where AI can master in months what humans learn in decades, why are we still trapped in four-year degrees and annual performance reviews? The most successful people have already abandoned these obsolete timelines for something radically different: regenerative learning cycles that transform them every six months. Russell John Cailey calls this the Firefly Effect-the ability to generate your own light in a world of broken systems. From guerrilla gardeners in South LA to Starbucks managers inventing billion-dollar products, from students escaping standardized testing to executives reinventing entire industries, this book reveals how fireflies are rising everywhere. Learn the six-month transformation framework, discover why wonder beats knowledge, and join a movement of people who refuse to wait for permission to shine. Because when systems break, fireflies rise.