I answered my phone the other day, only to hear that a dear friend was calling to apologize.
Okay, I thought… apologies are good, especially when warranted. But for the life of me, I couldn’t think of ONE THING that they needed to apologize for.
In the next two or three seconds of silence, every conversation we had over the previous month flashed through my mind, and I came up blank.
“I feel bad because I took your ideas…” came their next words. “I’m sorry.”
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Ideas make the world go ’round.
In fact, the world is really just one BIG set of ideas. Everything that people do or think or talk about is rooted firmly in ideas of one sort or another.
Every job or career or hobby is just a bunch of ideas that are being literally and practically worked out. Someone had an idea, and now many others are working to make it so.
No, there’s no shortage of ideas… and few that are genuine originals.
So those ideas of mine which were “stolen”, were not really mine to begin with. Oh sure, they had my twist… based on my own personality, experience, and point of view. Yes, they had a definite uniqueness in application that came from my goals, purposes, and missions in life.
But mine?
No, they were simply a sum of everything I’ve ever read, seen, or heard. An outcome of thousands of years knowledge… and things I’ve learned… from my own experiences, or others.
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Great ideas solve problems. They add value or convenience; they make life better, faster, easier, or less costly. Great ideas eliminate pain, make us more productive, and bring our goals more firmly within reach.
And they rarely happen in a vacuum.
Principles are principles… laws are laws. Some ideas just work because they work. Others don’t… and never will. But either way, ideas are meant to be used. Every book, every keynote… every blog, podcast, seminar, or webinar has at its core a set of ideas… the purpose of which is to make a difference.
Imagine an author who writes a book, but doesn’t want her ideas to influence your future thoughts or actions!
Take them… improve them… make them your own. Use them, share them, and then give back. The highest form of praise for a thought-leader is to have our ideas manifested in the successful results of others.
So, welcome to the conversation… no apologies necessary… now go, and grow.
Questions:
What ideas are you sitting on right now that need action?
What can you do by the end of this week to move the dial?
Will you do it?
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