I have found over the years that the most powerful word in the English language is the word “love.” Tell somebody that you “love” them and you are sure to get their attention. Another powerful word that is certain to garner attention is the word “idea.”
Tell somebody you have an “idea” and I can virtually guarantee you that their response will not be, “That’s too bad. Pass the ketchup.”
Ideas by their very nature are alluring and most people who are capable of “fogging a mirror” want to hear your latest brainchild. I am not inferring that they will endorse your idea, or even think that it is plausible. They will want to hear it.
With this in mind and believing it is true (which it is), doesn’t it make sense to “have more ideas” and offer to share them with interested parties?
The problem with many people today is they don’t believe in anything. This includes their capabilities, their companies their ideas, their chosen career path, their value systems, their future, their anything.
It has become easier to settle for the “same-old same-old” and wait for Friday to roll around. (Which I might add occurs faster and faster as the years pass by.)
I would like to put an end to this boorish behavior and call for a movement. Let’s share more “ideas” with each other.
Granted, most ideas will be absurd and lack any possibility of implementation. Some will be downright stupid and lack any creativity whatsoever. Some may be intriguing and others may be laughable. But some might be exactly what we need to hear and whose time has come.
All meaningful inventions initially surfaced as an idea. One noteworthy idea was given a failing grade in college since anybody with a brain knew that FedEx was a pipedream. Tom Watson, (Mr. IBM himself,) went on record to say that the computer would never find a place in the home. Put a man on the moon? What have you been smoking?
But I’m not talking about these kinds of ideas, although collectively they do make a point. I’m talking about calling somebody up on the telephone and asking them if they would be interested in organizing a fundraiser. I’m talking about conducting your own travel-related conference call on a weekday evening using Free Conference Call. I’m talking about contacting your local wine merchant to see if they would like to collaborate with you on a local project. I’m talking about approaching just about anybody to tell them “you have an idea.” They will listen. They will respond in some way, shape or form.
Tell me you don’t want to have ideas. Tell me you are too lazy to have ideas. Tell me you haven’t come up with an idea in twenty years. But DON’T tell me ideas don’t capture attention. Because I know better.
Funny how things work. As I typed the last word of this article I came up with a great idea…
