Ideas, we have 50,000 – 70,000 (according to Google), a day. Lots of ideas never amount to anything, a lot of them are things we should remember and may jot down, and some of them are ideas we’d rather forget. Then there’s the materialized idea: A Pixar movie, a new iPhone (pre-Tim Cook), companies like Uber, AirBnB, or the restaurant down the street. At one point these were all ideas, starting from next-to-nothing to materializing.
Materializing an Idea
Turning an idea into something fully executed is the trick I’m still trying to master, I think everyone is. I have a lot of ideas, a lot of really good ideas that would improve the lives of the people around me. I’ve learned a lot about launching ideas, like the challenge mindset. But it still takes time. A good idea, one I am really passionate about materializing into something lasting, isn’t developed overnight. It takes time, effort, and a lot of self-knowledge.
Writer’s (“Materializer’s) Block
Writer’s block – the condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing.
I feel the same with materializing ideas. I will have the base layer of ideas, I may build on-top of that layer, inching a bit closer to materialization, but no matter how far I come I always run into a block. In a lot of instances I don’t mind about hitting a block. Usually when I get to the block I say “That’ll be enough for me” and I stop worrying about the idea.
But then there are those ideas. The ones I become passionate about. The ones that agitate me because I know the idea is revolutionary. Coming up with a solution will eat away at me. Maybe I’ll try doing stuff that get me through the block. Like shipping an idea and getting feedback. But sometimes that isn’t enough. That’s when I turn to fermenting of the idea.
Like a Fine Wine
First things first, I am not a wine-snob, I drink ~$7 bottles of Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon.
As we all know, the older wine gets, the more expensive wine gets. I honestly think this approach works with ideas as well. At any given moment in time I could easily jot down 5-10 things that I am truly passionate about doing and passionate about bringing them to fruition. A lot of these things go unsolved for a certain time period: a few days, a week, a month, a year, maybe longer. But eventually, as evidenced with a lot of the places I’ve gone already in life, these ideas bear fruit. They no longer are ideas but materializations.
I know I am onto something. Each day I inch closer. Each day I’m taking a chunk out of the block in front of me, and diminishing my self-doubt. The age of some of my wine is getting ripe enough to pop the cork and enjoy. I need to stay focused on continually materializing ideas and eventually they’ll become the sought after bottle of wine.