A GREAT IDEA

 

"Getting an idea should be like sitting down on a pin; it should make

you jump up and do something."

– Al Jean (E.L. Simpson)

Writer

 

When was the last time you had an idea? I will bet it was maybe five or ten minutes ago. You may not have noticed it, most people don't, but we have ideas all the time. Getting ideas is one of the wonderful things about the human brain. The thing is that they are so common we pay little attention to them. Darren Hardy is the publisher of Success Magazine; he once stated, "Ideas aren't original. There surround us all day, every day. Execution is what makes the difference."

Do you want to know the secret of what makes some people successful and others not? It is simple; successful people pay attention to their ideas. The great American broadcaster and businessman Earl Nightingale (1921-1989) said, "Everything begins with an idea." And he was right. Look around you. Everything you see from a pencil to the computer, from a paperclip to an airplane, all started as just an idea in someone's mind.

One of the greatest idea men of the twentieth century was Thomas Edison (1847-1931). When a reporter asked Edison how he had so many unique ideas, he said, "To have a great idea, have a lot of them." Or, as American Chemist Linus Pauling (1901-1974) said, "The way to get a good idea is to get lots of ideas, and throw the bad ones away."

Many of us struggle with the same problem; we think that our ideas are not any good. They are too dull or too crazy to be of any use. That is because we are not in the habit of paying attention to them. Some of our ideas may be silly and of little use, but then again, people thought about the airplane, the electric light, the car, the computer, travel to the moon, and about any other great invention you can name. The brilliant Albert Einstein (1879-1955) said, "If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it."

Allow me to make a suggestion that can help you to pay more attention to your ideas. For the next two weeks, carry a small notebook and pen with you, or you can use your phone if you wish. Record all the ideas you have during the day. I warn you; once you start paying attention, you will see that you have ideas all the time. Each night go over the list. Those that mean nothing to you cross off the list. Those that strike a spark in your imagination put on another list to look at later. Here I suggest you follow the words of publisher Michael Stelzner "When you get a crazy idea, do not ignore it."

At the end of the two weeks, look over the list of ideas you have kept. Find one that you will start to pursue and go for it. Remember, it only takes one idea to make a million dollars or to change the world. I love the words of the great French novelist Victor Hugo (1802-1885) "There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come."

You do not need to stop this practice once you have completed the two weeks. If done right, you may not be able to stop. As the former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) said, "Once your mind is stretched by a new idea, it will never again return to its original size."

You can learn more about Personal Development from the author and speaker, John Patrick Hickey. To get his books, training material, or book him to speak to your church, business, or group, visit our website at www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   

© 2021 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this material may be reprinted or published without the written permission of the author.