Ideas to Reality

I often cringe at the thought of how many good ideas are hatched and dismissed without ever making their way into reality. I would probably become depressed if I took a critical look at the plans I have conceived in the past and then did nothing about them. As I pondered making this a year of idea generation, solution creation and personal formation, I figured I had better identify those things that prevent ideas from becoming real so I can avoid them. Here is what I came up with:

1. Poor Expectations – It seems to me many ideas do not get off the ground because they are immediately followed by thoughts like, “That won’t work” or “Others will never go for it.” The immediate problem with these thoughts lies in the fact that we do not know the future and are very likely to be wrong. If everyone listened to these types of thoughts, we would not have any of the modern comforts or technologies we have today. In fact, most inventions don’t work at first; therefore, it is equally important for us to continually refine our ideas.
2. Loner Syndrome – Another idea-killing menace is the notion that we bear the sole burden of making an idea successful just because it “belongs” to us. The fact is that sharing our ideas with others will allow for immediate feedback and refinement to help them take off. Even the greatest of inventors surrounded themselves with others who were idea-nurturing and had different perspectives and with whom they can openly share ideas, which brings me to the final idea-squelcher.
3. Silence – Directly related to the two issues above is the problem of keeping ideas to ourselves in such a way that they eventually fade away. Whether it is because we feel our ideas are half-formed, inadequate, radical or unpopular, we cannot allow them to drift off into obscurity simply because we think they may not work. Constantly sharing ideas can only lead to self-development, active collaboration and ultimately an organization that operates more efficiently.

Now that I have identified these things that can squash my ideas, I feel confident in overcoming them and hope that you will too.

~ John