The Power of an Idea

“A pile of rocks ceases to be a rock when somebody contemplates it with the idea of a cathedral in mind.”  -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The most powerful force in the human arsenal is the power of an idea.  Ideas are the start of everything, good and bad, that we see in our world today.  Governments and empires have been build on an idea, all that you use in your daily life, car, phone, TV, radio, stove, chairs, homes and all the other stuff, started as someone’s idea.  The really remarkable thing is that these ideas came from regular people, like you and me.  The only difference is that they acted on their ideas.

Charles Kettering said, “Every time you tear a leaf off a calendar, you present a new place for new ideas and progress.”  We are all on a quest – a type of treasure hunt.  We are looking for the few ideas that will change everything.  There are treasures in our minds that will transform our life and maybe even the world.  It is called the power of ideas and I want to share with you a few ways that you can develop this habit.

“The ability to covert ideas to things is the secret of outward success.”  -- Henry Ward Beecher

The first thing we need to make clear is that you, yes you, have the power of ideas.  It does not take a special person or special circumstances to have a powerful idea.  It does take a change in your thinking.  It is not that you don’t believe you can be creative; it is that you believe you can’t be.  All of these thoughts on the process of creating ideas apply to you and can be used by you.  All you have to do is believe you can and you will see magic happen.

“Ideas are the beginning points of all fortunes.” – Napoleon Hill

1)     Creative Thinking.

When we talk of creative thinking some believe you must me gifted in the arts or be well educated.  The truth is we think creatively everyday.  How many times have you thought of something that would make your life easier or put together an outfit to wear or played a game?  All requite creative thinking.  Problem solving and other everyday tasks all take creative thinking.  You do it so often you do not realize that you do.

Another misunderstanding about creative thinking is that we believe it is all original thoughts.  No one has had the idea before.  That is just not true.  John Maxwell in his great book, Thinking for a Change, (read it) said, “Creative thinking isn’t necessarily original thinking.  In fact, I think people mythologize original thought.  Most often, creative thinking is a composite of other thoughts discovered along the way.”  One of my favorite Maxwell quotes has always been when he said, “Most of my best thinking has been done by other people.”

 “Originality is the art of concealing your sources.”  -- Thomas Edison

2)     Sow Good Ideas.

Getting good ideas is not an accident.  It is not like you are walking down the street and bang! you have an idea that will change everything.  We have heard stories like that but they are myths.  It is like the myth of the “overnight success”.  Someone works for twenty years to become an overnight success.

Thomas Edison, one of the most creative thinkers in history said, “I never did anything by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident, they came by work.”  You have to work at getting ideas.  Inspiration is all around you and the tools for building great ideas are always with you.  But as with any tool, if you leave them in the box they will be of no use to you.

Be a collector of thoughts.  I suggest you keep a notebook and take notes of your thoughts and the thoughts of others.  This is why I collect quotes.  I am tapping into the thinking of others who have done it better than I do.  Linus Pauling said, “The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas, and throw the bad ones away.”  Think!  Listen!  Act!  Think again!

 “To stay ahead, you must have your next idea waiting in the wings.”  -- Rosabeth Moss Kanter

3)     Out of the Box or Out of Your Mind.

Yes it is true that many creative people can seem a bit off.  We are all for so called “thinking out of the box” but we fear those who seem like they are thinking “out of their minds”.  It is not that creative people are “off” it is more that they are not so concerned with what others think or what the status quo is.  It is because they allow some of the barriers to drop that they can think a bit more freely.  Kingman Brewster said, “There is a connection between the creative and the screwball.  So we must suffer the screwball gladly.”

So do you have to be a bit on the strange side to think freely?  Of course not.  But there is a group of people in out society who have much to teach us about creative thinking and the power of imagination.  This group is children.  You will find more creative thought, powerful ideas and imagination in 5-7 year olds than in any other group.  And what do we do with all this creative energy?  We force them to grow up and put imagination behind them. 

Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”  Children are a creative force.  Learn from them.  Talk to them and allow them to influence your thinking.  Imagination is not a complicated thing, so don’t try to make it so.

“Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” – Pablo Picasso

4)     Avoid the Idea Killers.

We have all seen them; you may even be one of them.  The idea killers.  They are the ones who say it can not be done.  They will laugh at your ideas and help you to “understand” why this will not work and you will make a fool of yourself.  There are idea killers in all our lives.  You must avoid them at all cost. 

Ideas are very fragile.  Charlie Brower puts it this way, “A new idea is delicate.  It can be killed by a sneer or a yawn; it can be stabbed to death by a quip and worried to death by a frown on the right man’s brow.”  Protect your ideas by not talking to everyone about them.  There are people you should just not share with.  You know they will not support you so don’t even go there.

Find people who allow you to think.  Encouragers who are willing to celebrate your ideas, even if they do not understand them.  These are the people you want to listen to as well.  All new ideas need some adjusting now and then.  If you know a person is supportive of your thinking, they will be there to help, not destroy.  Listen and learn. 

“There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come.” – Victor Hugo

© Jack Hickey 2010