The Importance and Power of Ideas

When I was in school, we were always taught that planning is essential for every business and a new beginning. In fact, the principles of management start with planning. But I think there is something that comes much before planning. I’m talking about ‘ideas’. The importance & power of ideas is much more essential than anything else.

It’s the ideas behind all the success stories. Planning is just a process in a way of how & when to implement the ideas.

Just think, if planning is that important then why do most successful celebrities or entrepreneurs always say “We never planned to become an actor, we just ended up here. We’re blessed”.

Even the majority of schools and colleges cornerstone the existing knowledge which is undoubtedly important too.

But what if schools & colleges actually helped students explore their talents and creative ideas instead of putting them follow the same old routine. Wouldn’t it be better? Harvesting and analyzing new unique ideas.

The Power of Ideas

According to me, our actions are based on our initial ideas. Without ideas, planning isn’t made, progress isn’t made, change won’t happen and everything just stops developing.

It’s no wonder that most of the things around you, perhaps you are using it right now are based on someone’s idea. Even the last meme you just saw.

Do you know? Memes were introduced in 1976 by British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his work “The Selfish Gene”. His concept is now trending worldwide and more contagious than any other virus. They’ve taken over all the social platforms.

Not only this there are plenty of examples around us. Like when I started to write, I learned a lot of things that I didn’t even know. I learned that a unique concept is necessary to differentiate your work from others and to bring out the best in you. However, that’s a different story some of my ideas just vanish as soon as I pick up the pen.

That’s how a middle-class 16-year-old boy found his way. Neil Patel started working as a trash picker and now he is among the top 100 influencers on the web. He managed to keep up with the idea of putting his efforts and time into SEO for his content to compete with the big guys in the market.

Ideas are everywhere, in people you talk to, in your life experiences, in things you read, in adventure, in music, in books & magazines. The mind is capable enough to produce tons of ideas but only the conscious mind can produce exceptional quality ideas. But in the end, it’s up to you whether to hold them or just let them go.

That’s how the world-famous author J.K Rowling came up with the legendary franchise of Harry Potter. She conceived the idea of Harry Potter in 1990 while sitting on a delayed train from Manchester to London King’s Cross.

She sat for 4 hrs waiting for that delayed train. She continued to imagine these ideas throughout her journey. Over the next 5 years, she began to map out all 7 books of the series.

Isn’t it amazing? Actually, it’s inspirational how J.K Rowling went from a struggling mother to the world’s most successful author. Just because of an idea.

You know I love watching science fiction movies. They make me wonder about things that don’t even exist yet. They are the bouquet of brilliant concepts. Movies like Interstellar and Inception by Christopher Nolan are among those. I remember a line from the Inception movie saying that:

“An Idea is like a virus. Resilient. Highly contagious. And even the smallest seed of an idea can grow. It can grow to define or destroy you”

COBB

The thing is everyone wants to be creative. Everyone wants to come up with better ideas and wants to shout EUREKA! EUREKA!. But it isn’t that easy.

It is easy to have ideas but requires a lot of effort & guts to execute them. The idea is unperceivable in our mind which can be seen by our mind only but when we craft it into a perceivable reality, we’ve been creative. Being creative means being capable of seeing beyond.

Role of Ideas in Evolution

It’s the idea that we have come this far and still going and will continue to go, to evolve, to bring out a better tomorrow. Our future is the fruit of the seed that our minds can produce today. And we should know how to cultivate it. The greatest thing is that the fruit will be for the entire mankind.

This was the case that all the great scientists came up with the ideas, otherwise the entire world would have been limited to its restraining life-cycle.

Role of Ideas in Business

The world is owned by ideas and innovations. Businesses know how much they are fond of innovations to remain in the market. This may be the reason why most companies keep their tagline synonym to the word ‘idea’ or ‘innovation’.

An American politician and 35th U.S. President, John F. Kennedy wrote:-

A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. Ideas have endurance without death

John f. kennedy

Where do great ideas actually come from?

We are doing things all the time now on the internet that we couldn’t have even dreamed of 10 years ago. It’s all because of innovation and the ideas behind it.

As I said above ideas are everywhere. Our mind uses vacant space to generate ideas. Regular thousands of thoughts come to our minds but most of them are unnecessary and unproductive.

Here’s why you should avoid overthinking.

Thinking of ideas doesn’t necessarily require you to sit down with pen & paper and force your brain to come up with them. Sometimes it comes spontaneously when you least expect them to.

Optimize and analyze your quality & relevant ideas that generate the greatest impact, which can be achieved through meditation and a disciplined lifestyle.

What is the problem of innovation?

What the internet is doing to our brain? We spend more time searching for others’ hunches than one’s own. The Internet is home to existing knowledge.

But think from a different perspective too. Even after the borders make the youth of this world afraid to leap and see beyond, the internet allows us to connect with more and more people to share our creative ideas and combine them to make something even more spectacular.

I suddenly got this urge to work hard in life, not because I’m ambitious or I want to pursue wealth, but because I’m scared. I was scared of time slipping through my fingers. And that’s the complication with being mortal. But anyway, use your time wisely. There is so much to do & explore. Just get the idea!

And remember:

If your degree isn’t making any difference, perhaps one idea can.

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