OPEN FOR IDEAS
. . . what do you think of when you think of things?
Friday Feb. 7, 2014
A little idea could be a dangerous diversion.
Or, it could be a great opportunity.
We all have ideas, wasting away in our noggins.
What do you think of my ideas?
What do I think of yours?
We don’t share ideas much, do we?
It seems to me that we are all good brains, thinking all the time – but mostly silent when it comes to our ideas, to touting them, testing them, getting feedback and fleshing them out and I wonder what we are afraid of? I suppose we might fear being teased, ridiculed or embarrassed, or being told “oh, that’s an old idea – it’s been done, disproved, patented, celebrated or panned, or banned”.
How do we test drive a new idea?
Or do we test it at all - - or just set it aside, discarding or diminishing it without trying it, without the nerve to run it by anyone. Is that because we don’t have confidence in our ideas, that they might be good, worthy, game-changers, world beaters … or at the very least good to try?
We test drive cars.
We try on clothes.
We get quotes from contractors.
We research, don’t we?
We don’t mind asking questions, discussing pro v. con on our choices.
But our ideas? … not so fast now.
Do we float our ideas to anyone, to a group, to the team – or to the world?
Thoughts seep in, ideas invade, notions are everywhere. We can’t keep them out when we want to and we can’t ignore them no matter how hard we try to deflect or avoid.
Ideas are the sign of a busy mind.
Not all ideas are going to change the world, but many of them will change us.
We have such great tools today.
In a few seconds you could write out the nub of an idea – a 10 word description of what it is, what it means, what it could do. Sure you can. And, in a few seconds more, you could send it to friends or colleagues. Or, if you don’t have any friends and/or you don’t have colleagues or you don’t trust them … then send it to me.
Ideas welcome here – just hit send!
Oh yes … do I have one?
I have many.
A recent one – to build a speakers bureau, to market the services of speakers, run conferences etc. I’m calling it Business Class. Business Class Meetings, Business Class Conferences. Trade names registered, website addresses reserved, starting soon.
What do you think?
Another – borne of my frustration that my late friend’s family didn’t want to have a service for him. I’ve since learned they had a private ‘family only’ one, so they are half-forgiven.
Still, for friends and colleagues to remember and celebrate him, there is no method or connecting or getting together. I thought there must be some way. Surely someone has thought of this before, or maybe not. I googled around, looking for some form of virtual wake, some kind of connect-method. I found none. I wondered,“what would Gary do?”. He’d start something. I thought ‘VirtualWake’. Idea germinating. Website address reserved … looking for collaborators to brainstorm.
What do you think?
Mark Kolke
199,240
column written/ published from Calgary
morning walk: -21C /-5F, dark and quiet, we were up before the birds and buses. Less slippery as sidewalks are sanded. Streets were empty we walked early before I went to the gym; some warming predicted today but not much.
Reader feedback / comments always welcome:
Sometimes less is more. Reason that I like reading about your morning walks with Gusta, PL, Calgary, AB
You will do excellently in this assignment as you do all assignments. Just because the conditions are average does not mean you respond with an average accomplishment. An excellent spirit is hard to hide from the world. You appear to me to have a keen discernment of people, even those you may not have met. The accuracy will depend on the honesty of those you interview; but then this isn't a roast so it will probably be all good. GW, 6 days away from Bon Wier, Tx.
